How Long Do You Have to File a Florida Injury Claim?

If you’ve been hurt in Florida, the legal clock may be shorter than you think. For many cases, a Florida injury claim now has a 2-year filing deadline.

That change has surprised a lot of people since 2023. Still, deadlines can shift based on the type of case, when you discovered the harm, and who caused it. Time works a lot like evidence, once it slips away, getting it back is hard.

The standard deadline for most Florida injury claims

As of April 2026, Florida law gives most negligence-based injury cases 2 years from the date of injury to file suit. That usually covers car accidents, slip and falls, truck crashes, dog bites, and many product-related injuries. You can see the current rule in section 95.11 of the Florida Statutes.

This was not always the rule. Florida shortened the deadline on March 24, 2023, when HB 837 took effect. If your injury happened on or after that date, the newer 2-year limit usually applies. If it happened before then, the older 4-year rule may still control.

That date matters more than many people realize. Two people can have similar crashes, but different deadlines, if one accident happened before March 24, 2023 and the other happened after it