Florida News Archive

After both sides said the case was moot, the 1st District Court of Appeal on Wednesday dismissed a high-profile legal fight about the state’s efforts to prevent school mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. A three-judge panel dismissed an appeal after attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and a group of parents filed a joint motion saying the case was moot because of a law passed in a special legislative session last month

As the Seminole Tribe pursues a legal battle to regain control over online sports betting in Florida, the federal government has not decided whether to launch an appeal.

Florida trailed only Texas in population increases from 2020 to 2021, while the nation had the slowest growth rate in its history, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday in a more than five-year legal battle over whether the Florida High School Athletic Association violated a Christian school’s free-speech rights by preventing a prayer from being read over a loudspeaker before a football game.

Certain criminal offenders could opt for a hitch in the military over jail time, under a proposal filed for the upcoming legislative session.

From elections to vaccines, state and federal courts are weighing major Florida lawsuits. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in 2022:

Nearly six million Floridians are expected to travel over the next two weeks, an increase of 35 percent over holiday travel last year. That comes as gasoline prices have dropped 12 cents a gallon in the past month.

A House Republican on Monday filed a proposal that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to be armed at state legislative meetings.

Three conservation groups moved Monday toward filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection over water-quality problems that have led to a record number of manatee deaths this year in Florida.

With Florida officials preparing to release a November unemployment report Friday, first-time jobless claims last week remained at pre-pandemic levels in the state.