Florida is home to some of the most heavily documented AFFF contamination sites in the country. Eglin Air Force Base, MacDill Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, and several Naval Air Stations have all been identified in federal environmental records as sites where AFFF use resulted in PFAS contamination of groundwater and surrounding communities.
If you served as a military firefighter, worked in civilian aviation fire response, or lived near one of Florida's affected bases, and have since been diagnosed with cancer or a serious illness, a licensed attorney can help you evaluate whether an AFFF claim applies to your situation.
Florida claimants are part of MDL 2873, In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, consolidated in the District of South Carolina. As of June 2026, that proceeding continues to advance through bellwether scheduling and active settlement discussions.
This page is not legal advice. Filing deadlines for AFFF claims vary by state and depend on individual facts. Talk to a licensed attorney in Florida before making any decisions.
Last updated: June 2026. MDL 2873 (D.S.C.) - active.
Florida's AFFF Filing Window
Florida's personal injury statute of limitations has undergone recent changes that directly affect AFFF claimants. As of March 24, 2023, Florida amended its limitations period from four years (F.S. SS 95.11(3)(a)) to two years for most personal injury claims - a significant change for anyone who was diagnosed or considering filing around that transition date.
For AFFF claimants, this creates a complex landscape:
- ·Claims where the injury accrued before March 24, 2023 may fall under the older four-year window, depending on when the cause of action is deemed to have arisen
- ·Claims accruing after that date are generally subject to the new two-year window
- ·Florida courts apply the discovery rule, meaning the limitations period typically runs from when the claimant discovered - or through reasonable diligence should have discovered - the injury and its connection to AFFF exposure
For PFAS-related cancers with long latency periods, the discovery date question is factually complex and critical. The difference between a timely and a time-barred claim may hinge on when you first received a diagnosis and when you learned of the PFAS connection.
Filing deadlines vary by state. Do not assume your window has closed - and do not assume it remains open. Consult a licensed attorney in Florida who handles AFFF and PFAS litigation.
Who Qualifies for an AFFF Claim in Florida
MDL 2873 generally includes claimants who were directly exposed to PFAS through AFFF use and who subsequently developed a qualifying medical condition. Florida has an unusually high concentration of qualifying exposure sites.
Exposure groups common in Florida AFFF cases:
- ·Military firefighters at Eglin Air Force Base (Fort Walton Beach/Niceville area) - one of the most extensively documented AFFF/PFAS contamination sites in the DoD inventory
- ·Personnel and families at MacDill Air Force Base (Tampa)
- ·Military and civilian firefighters at Tyndall Air Force Base (Panama City) and Patrick Space Force Base (Cocoa Beach/Brevard County)
- ·Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Air Station Key West, and Pensacola Naval Air Station personnel with firefighting duties
- ·Civilian firefighters at Florida international airports and regional airports with documented AFFF training
- ·Residents of communities adjacent to affected bases whose drinking water was contaminated by PFAS runoff into local aquifers or water systems
Qualifying conditions (based on current MDL 2873 science proceedings):
- ·Kidney cancer
- ·Testicular cancer
- ·Bladder cancer
- ·Prostate cancer
- ·Thyroid disease
- ·Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- ·Ulcerative colitis
This list is refined as expert proceedings develop. A licensed attorney can assess whether your specific diagnosis fits the current accepted cohort for MDL 2873.
Documenting Exposure and Your Qualifying Condition
Two evidentiary pillars support most AFFF claims: evidence of PFAS exposure and medical documentation of a qualifying condition. Florida has extensive public records on PFAS contamination at military installations that can support the exposure side of a claim.
Exposure documentation:
- ·Military service records (DD-214, unit training logs) confirming firefighting duty at Florida installations with documented AFFF use
- ·DoD Installation Restoration Program records and PFAS site investigation reports for affected Florida bases - Eglin and Tyndall in particular have extensive public records
- ·Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) PFAS monitoring data for groundwater and public water supply systems adjacent to affected bases
- ·Employment records from civilian airports or industrial fire-response facilities
- ·Municipal water quality testing results showing elevated PFAS concentrations
Medical documentation:
- ·Pathology or biopsy reports confirming diagnosis
- ·Oncology or specialist records with diagnosis dates and treatment history
- ·Primary care records documenting symptom progression
Florida's FDEP has publicly released PFAS site investigation data that attorneys use to establish exposure pathways for affected community members. This public record can strengthen the exposure documentation for residential claimants living near affected bases.
How Florida AFFF Cases Move Through MDL 2873
AFFF cases filed by Florida claimants originate in one of Florida's three federal judicial districts - the Northern District (Pensacola/Tallahassee), Middle District (Tampa/Orlando/Jacksonville), or Southern District (Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach) - based on where you reside or where the exposure occurred. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation then transfers each case to MDL 2873 in the District of South Carolina under 28 U.S.C. SS 1407.
MDL 2873 is not a class action. Each claimant holds a separate individual case. You retain your own counsel, and any settlement offer is evaluated independently. The MDL coordinates pretrial proceedings to avoid duplicating discovery and expert work across thousands of individual cases.
Key MDL 2873 milestones that apply to Florida claimants:
- ·Plaintiff Fact Sheets (PFS) documenting exposure and diagnosis history for each claimant
- ·General causation expert proceedings establishing the scientific link between PFAS and qualifying diseases
- ·Bellwether trial selections to test specific liability theories and damages scenarios
If a global or inventory settlement is negotiated, each plaintiff and their attorney decide independently whether to accept.
What AFFF Settlement Ranges Have Looked Like
AFFF personal-injury litigation is at a different stage than the municipal water-system settlements. 3M's resolution with municipal water providers, announced in 2023 at a reported $10.3 billion, covers water systems - not individual cancer claimants. Those are separate tracks.
Personal-injury bellwether cases have been advancing through pretrial scheduling in MDL 2873. Reported individual settlement values in PFAS/AFFF personal-injury cases have varied based on:
- ·The specific diagnosis and its severity
- ·Duration and documented intensity of PFAS exposure
- ·Age at diagnosis and overall medical prognosis
- ·Defendant-specific liability factors and exposure pathways
No publicly available settlement formula applies to individual claims. Individual case reports have cited a wide range of values depending on the above factors. These are anecdotal data points from distinct cases with distinct facts - not projections for your case, and not guarantees of any outcome.
Any settlement offer you receive will come through your licensed attorney. Never sign a release without fully understanding its terms.