Tallahassee – A federal judge Monday ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to take a series of steps aimed at protecting manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon, including requiring it to go through a federal permitting process and temporarily preventing new septic tanks in the area.

Tallahassee – A new state law targeting undocumented immigrants who enter Florida should remain blocked as a legal battle plays out, attorneys challenging the law argued in a filing Friday at a federal appeals court.

Tallahassee – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has gone to a federal appeals court after a U.S. district judge last month ruled that the state has violated the Endangered Species Act as manatees face threats in the Indian River Lagoon.