Progressive Express Ins. Co. v. Emergency Physicians Florida

Full title: PROGRESSIVE EXPRESS INSURANCE COMPANY, Petitioner, v. EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS…

Court: DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT

Date published: Apr 8, 2016

187 So. 3d 1278 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2016)

Opinion

No. 5D15–3719.

04-08-2016

PROGRESSIVE EXPRESS INSURANCE COMPANY, Petitioner, v. EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, etc., Respondent.

Douglas H. Stein, of Seipp, Flick & Hosley, LLP, Miami, for Petitioner. Dean A. Mitchell, Ocala, for Respondent.

PER CURIAM.

Douglas H. Stein, of Seipp, Flick & Hosley, LLP, Miami, for Petitioner.

Dean A. Mitchell, Ocala, for Respondent.

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Progressive Express Insurance Company (“Progressive”) seeks certiorari review of an order rendered by the circuit court, sitting in its appellate capacity. We are confronted with the same issue that has been resolved in Mercury Insurance Company of Florida v. Emergency Physicians of Central, 182 So.3d 661 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015). In Mercury, this court held that all claims, including Emergency Physicians of Central Florida's priority claim, are properly applied to a personal injury protection deductible in the order that they are received. Id. at 662–63. See also Progressive Am. Ins. Co. v. Emergency Physicians of Cent. Fla., 186 So.3d 1136 (Fla. 5th DCA 2016); Progressive Am. Ins. Co. v. Emergency Physicians of Cent. Fla., 41 Fla. L. Weekly D564, 187 So.3d 898, 2016 WL 830247 (Fla. 5th DCA Mar. 4, 2016); USAA Gen. Indem. Co. v. Emergency Physicians Cent., 186 So.3d 588 (Fla. 5th DCA 2016); Progressive Select Ins. Co. v. Fla. Emergency Physicians, 183 So.3d 489, 489 (Fla. 5th DCA 2016); Metro. Cas. Ins. Co. v. Emergency Physicians of Cent. Fla., LLP, 178 So.3d 927, 928 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015).

Pursuant to Mercury, the circuit court in the instant appeal erred in holding that the benefits to be paid from the $5000 reserve imposed by section 627.736(4)(c), Florida Statutes (2011), are not subject to an otherwise applicable deductible. Such an interpretation runs afoul of the plain language of section 627.739(2), Florida Statutes (2011), which sets out that “[t]he deductible amount must be applied to 100 percent of the expenses and losses described in s. 627.736.” Accordingly, Emergency Physicians of Central Florida is not entitled to payment from Progressive, as Progressive properly applied its claim to the deductible. We grant Progressive's petition for writ of certiorari and quash the circuit court's order.

CERTIORARI GRANTED; ORDER QUASHED.

SAWAYA, PALMER and TORPY, JJ., concur.