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Alex Pickett
Alex Pickett is the Courthouse News Service reporter for the Tampa Bay area. In his 18 years of reporting, Alex's stories have spanned from investigations into zoos, police departments and homelessness to violations of Florida's Sunshine Laws. He has written award-winning features on the longest sentence served by a non-violent drug offender, the effects of gentrification on a historic African-American neighborhood and the apathy toward a rural Florida county devastated by Hurricane Michael. He has hitchhiked the state of Florida, spent early mornings in hobo camps (for a story, of course) and covered the sensational Hulk Hogan sex tape trial. Alex is one of only a handful of American reporters to be waterboarded. Contact for all things Florida: the politics, the environment, the gators in your gazebo. And the legal issues in between.
Follow @alexbpickettLatest Articles by Alex Pickett
Judge voids Trump's $1.8 billion settlement with IRS
Trump sued the IRS earlier this year over a leak of his tax returns and settled for $1.776 billion in a deal shot down by a federal judge Monday as "collusion."
Convicted crypto bros seek relief in the 11th Circuit
The convictions centered on how the federal government defines securities in the opaque world of cryptocurrencies.
Florida governor shutters ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The detention center at the edge of the Everglades, which housed 21,000 migrants over its year of operations, still faces lawsuits over environmental and civil rights concerns.
Miami drug kingpin contests 150-year sentence at 11th Circuit
A federal jury convicted Alvaro Lopez Tardon on a series of money laundering charges stemming from an international drug ring, but his attorney says the government misapplied the law and gained convictions through a warrantless search.
States take aim at Trump’s IRS settlement
The group of 23 state attorneys general joined dozens of former judges questioning the legitimacy of a settlement between the president and the IRS.
Florida appeals court shoots down concealed carry age restrictions
A three-judge panel called the law prohibiting 18- to 20-year-olds from holding concealed carry permits unconstitutional — a position conceded by the state attorney general.
The Wall Street Journal seeks second dismissal of Trump defamation lawsuit
Trump sued the publication last year for $10 billion over an article about a birthday card sent to Jeffrey Epstein. After an adverse ruling, the president revived his claims.
Trump seeks to continue BBC defamation suit
Attorneys defend the president’s delays in preparing a response to the media company’s motion to dismiss.