Policy Limits Demands and the New Safe Harbors, Part 1: Florida Bad Faith Fundamentals, HB 837, and the Developing Landscape

Brenna Spinner | Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg

Brenna Spinner is a litigation and appellate attorney at Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg, where she represents injured clients and policyholders wronged by insurers in bad faith, personal injury, civil, and appellate matters across state and federal courts. Her practice runs on careful legal writing and strategic case development, and her results range from a victory on a novel issue of law before the Supreme Court of Maryland to successful outcomes for hundreds of clients. In 2026 alone, she holds a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America listing and presents twice for the Florida Justice Association on insurance cases and Florida case law.

• Education & Credentials

Ms. Spinner earned her J.D., with honors, from The George Washington University Law School in 2016, following a B.A., summa cum laude, from Salisbury University. At GW she was a member of the George Washington Law Review, chaired a committee of the GW Moot Court Board, competed in moot court, and taught legal research, writing, and advocacy to first-year students as a Dean’s Fellow. She is admitted in Florida, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and in six federal district courts: the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, the District of Columbia, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

• Recognition & Leadership

Ms. Spinner’s recognition spans the courtroom and the podium. She has been named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (2026) and recognized by The National Trial Lawyers (2025). The Florida Justice Association has twice given her a statewide platform in 2026: she presented “Special Considerations in Insurance Cases” at the FJA’s Proposal for Settlement Webinar and delivered the “Case Law Update” at the FJA Annual Convention.

• Professional Involvement

Ms. Spinner is an EAGLE member of the Florida Justice Association and belongs to the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, the American Bar Association, and the Military Spouse J.D. Network. Service has run through her entire career: she volunteered at the District of Columbia’s landlord-tenant resource center assisting pro se litigants, and in law school represented indigent clients facing eviction through a student legal clinic.

• Experience

At Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg, Ms. Spinner litigates insurance bad faith, personal injury, civil, and appellate matters for clients whose lives have been changed by injury or injustice. She began her career at a leading Washington, D.C. litigation firm, handling every phase of litigation and securing a successful outcome on a novel issue of law before the Supreme Court of Maryland. In 2019 she devoted her practice to individuals denied Social Security Disability benefits and obtained successful results for hundreds of them. She brings that same client-centered commitment, now paired with big-firm litigation and appellate experience, to every case she handles today.

SESSION 1 – Florida Bad Faith Fundamentals: Foundations, Duties, and the Underlying Claim | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

This session introduces the fundamental principles of Florida bad faith law, tracing the foundations and development of the doctrine through both common law and statutory claims, including first-party and third-party actions. It examines the duties insurers owe, the standards used to evaluate whether an insurer acted in bad faith, and the relationship between the underlying claim and a bad faith action.

BREAK | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

SESSION 2 – HB 837 and After: The 90-Day Safe Harbor, Its Impact, and the Questions Still Open | 1:10pm – 2:10pm

This session turns to the significant changes enacted through HB 837, including the 90-day safe harbor, and their impact on established Florida bad faith law. It addresses how those changes fit within existing Florida law and closes with the developing law and the questions that remain unresolved after HB 837.