(1) The rights of firefighters as set forth in this part shall not be construed to diminish the rights and privileges of firefighters that are guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state or limit the granting of broader rights by other law, ordinance, or rule. These rights include the right to bring suit against any individual, group of persons, association, organization, or corporation for damages, either monetary or otherwise, suffered during the performance of the firefighter’s official duties or for abridgment of the firefighter’s rights, civil or otherwise, arising out of the performance of his or her official duties.
(2) This part is neither designed to abridge nor expand the rights of firefighters to bring civil suits for injuries suffered in the course of their employment as recognized by the courts, nor is it designed to abrogate any common-law or statutory limitation on the rights of recovery.
History.—s. 1, ch. 86-6.