Liability Of Volunteer Philanthropic Project

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i have questions regarding the liability of having people volunteer for a philanthropic project
What state is your project based in, Jess? Different states have different laws regarding volunteer liability.
florida
What kind of activities will the volunteers be involved in for your project? In Florida, volunteers are generally not held liable for their actions unless there is gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
driving a car and handing out food and hygiene products
What type of insurance do you have for the volunteers and the vehicles they will be driving?
i would have insurance for the vehicle, no insurance for volunteers as this is not an official organization
Do the volunteers use their own vehicles or vehicles provided by the project? In Florida, the vehicle's insurance typically covers accidents, regardless of who's driving.
vehicle provided by the project
Do you have a waiver or release of liability form for the volunteers to sign? In Florida, it's advisable to have volunteers sign such a form to protect your project from potential lawsuits.
no
It's recommended to have volunteers sign a liability waiver form. This can help protect your project from potential lawsuits.
can i have people help with the project and have them not considered as volunteers? or would they be considered my responsibility still
What is the nature of the help these people would be providing? Are they performing tasks similar to the volunteers or different?
i would have no official volunteers, just ask the community to help and if they show up, their responsibilities would include driving the insured project car as well as hand out food and hygienic products
Are these community members being compensated in any way or are they offering their help voluntarily?
no compensation, they would only come if they wanted to
What is the age range of these community members? In Florida, the age of the driver can affect liability and insurance coverage.
* and older
In Florida:

- Volunteers aged * and older are generally not held liable unless there's gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
- It's advisable to have a liability waiver form signed by participants.
- Vehicle insurance typically covers accidents.
what if the volunteers are *
In Florida, the same rules apply for volunteers who are *. They are generally not held liable unless there's gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
who is not held liable
In Florida, volunteers aged * and older are generally not held liable unless there's gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
so who is liable for potential negligence or misconduct?
In Florida, if gross negligence or intentional misconduct occurs, the individual who committed the act could potentially be held liable.
so if i am the person organizing the project but did not commit the act, i would not be held liable
Are you asking if you, as the organizer, could be held liable for the actions of the volunteers?

In Florida, organizers can potentially be held liable if there's a failure to provide a safe environment or proper supervision.
no. this project involves helping the houseless people in the local community. i am asking about what i would be liable for if i organize a project where people willing to help could drive the project’s van to a public place and hand out food and supplies and some altercation arises between someone helping with the project and a houseless person or any external party
What measures are you taking to ensure the safety of both the volunteers and the houseless individuals during these interactions?
i don’t know
What type of altercation are you referring to? Physical, verbal, or something else?
any potential altercation
What precautions or training will you provide to those helping with the project to prevent or handle potential altercations?
i would have the people helping with the project read up on safe practices and how to have positive and safe interactions. i would advise the houseless people to be civil. i would have one person with some experience in customer service / human resources helping to oversee the project and do their best to de-escalate any altercations
What is the nature of the altercations you anticipate? Physical, verbal, or something else?
any
What measures are you planning to take to prevent these potential altercations?
have someone supervise
What is the experience and qualifications of the person supervising?
at least 1 year of experience with human resources or customer service
What kind of training or guidelines will this supervisor provide to the volunteers to handle potential altercations?
advice on how to de-escalate unfavorable interactions
What specific de-escalation techniques or strategies will be included in this advice?
what do you reccommend