PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit Lawsuit in Florida

Federal PFAS litigation is centralized in MDL 2873 (In re: AFFF Products Liability Litigation) in the District of South Carolina (Charleston) before Judge Richard M. Gergel. Florida has among the highest concentrations of MDL plaintiff filings due to extensive military AFFF use at Tyndall AFB, Eglin AFB, NAS Pensacola, and Patrick Space Force Base. Florida plaintiffs file directly into MDL 2873.

3M's $10.3 billion water utility settlement (December 2023) and the DuPont/Chemours/Corteva $1.185 billion settlement apply nationwide. Florida water utilities receiving contaminated supply from proximity to AFFF-using bases — including the City of Pensacola and Okaloosa County utilities — are eligible class participants.

Florida's statute of limitations for personal injury toxic tort claims is 4 years under Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(a) (reduced from 4 to 2 years for general negligence in 2023, but toxic tort/product liability remains 4 years). The latent disease discovery rule under Fla. Stat. § 95.031(2) tolls limitations until the plaintiff knew or should have known of the injury and PFAS connection.

Florida's most heavily contaminated PFAS sites include: Tyndall AFB (Panama City Beach area), Eglin AFB and Duke Field (Okaloosa County), NAS Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field (Escambia/Santa Rosa Counties), Patrick Space Force Base (Brevard County), MacDill AFB (Tampa Bay). Florida DEP has ordered PFAS remediation at multiple sites and found PFAS exceedances in municipal water supplies near these installations.