This is a story about a legal fight over Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist system, not an energy-efficiency upgrade, so there's no direct action for homeowners here. Still, some readers may be curious about the background.
Florida's attorney general, joined by Alabama and Georgia, has asked a federal appeals court to throw out a $243 million verdict against Tesla. A Miami jury found Tesla partly liable last year for a 2019 crash in Key Largo, where a Tesla with Autopilot engaged ran a stop sign and hit a parked SUV, killing 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon. The driver had dropped his phone and looked away, believing Autopilot would keep the car safe. A judge later sanctioned Tesla for withholding crash data during the case. The states now argue the $200 million punitive damages award is too high and should be cut or thrown out entirely.
The filing has drawn scrutiny because Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, was appointed rather than elected, and his campaign recently accepted a donation tied to a lobbying firm that represents Tesla in the state. A separate bill that would have limited liability for companies making driver-assist systems failed in the state legislature earlier this year but could be reintroduced. The case is now before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
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