Judge Slams Florida Zoo Over Tiger Cub Encounters
A private Florida zoo violated federal law by allowing patrons to handle, pet and swim with tiger cubs, a judge ruled late Tuesday.
Read more
Florida
Florida Democrats Sue to Kick Sanders Off Primary Ballot
Democratic voters living in the Florida Panhandle filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders should be listed as an independent candidate for the state’s May 17 primary because he’s not actually a Democrat.
Read more
Scientist Held Without Bail on Charges of Spying for Russia
An acclaimed molecular biologist from Mexico agreed Friday to defer bail and remain in pretrial detention on charges that he spied on a U.S. informant on behalf of the Russian government.
Read moreCrosses
Pensacola, Florida’s maintenance of a 34-foot Latin cross in a city park does not violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, the Eleventh Circuit ruled. The circuit had affirmed a lower court’s decision ordering the removal of the cross but the Supreme Court vacated after determining that a 32-foot Latin cross on public land in Maryland was constitutional.
Read moreSnapchat Threat
A Florida appeals court ruled against a defendant seeking to dismiss a charge of sending a written threat to kill or injure a child. The defendant sent a Snapchat photo to his North Marion High School classmate depicting a scoped AR-15 rifle with the caption, “Show and Tell @NM on Monday.” The picture was sent two weeks after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Read more
Florida Can’t Bar Felons From Voting Over Unpaid Fees, Panel Rules
Florida cannot deny the right to vote for felons unable to pay restitution or fines, the 11th Circuit ruled Wednesday in a limited decision.
Read more
Warren, Buttigieg Sued for $265M Over Trayvon Martin Tweets
George Zimmerman, the Florida man acquitted of murder after killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, filed a $265 million lawsuit against Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg over tweets they posted on what would have been Martin’s 25th birthday.
Read more
11th Circuit Tackles Eye Doc’s $73 Million Health Care Fraud
Fighting to seal a historic health care fraud conviction Friday, government lawyers reminded the 11th Circuit that, in his heyday as an eye doctor, Salomon Melgen had billed Medicare more than 90 times for diagnostic testing on a patient’s prosthetic eye.
Read more
Florida Red Flag Law Removes Thousands of Guns
A 23-year-old man posted on Facebook, “I don’t know why I don’t go on a killing spree.” A West Palm Beach couple shot up their home while high on cocaine. A 31-year-old Gulf Coast man pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a motorcyclist.
Read more‘Stand Your Ground’
A man convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon is entitled to a new immunity hearing because the trial court failed to apply a 2017 amendment to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statute, the court of appeals ruled. The amendment shifts the burden of proof from the defendant to the state.
Read more
Challenge to Gay Conversion Bans Hits 11th Circuit
The constitutionality of South Florida bans on juvenile gay conversion therapy is hanging in the balance in the 11th Circuit, where attorneys jousted Tuesday over whether the bans violate therapists’ free speech rights.
Read more
Florida Courts Struggle to Collect Fines Owed by Ex-Felons
A new government study shows Florida courts have a difficult job collecting fees and fines in criminal cases. Those failures now have a direct impact on the ability of ex-felons to vote in future elections after they serve their prison sentences.
Read moreClass Action Filed Over Vaginal Detox Marketing Claims
A class action filed in Florida state court accuses a vaginal detox company of putting out deceptive marketing materials that claim its products can purge women’s bodies of ex-lovers and increase fertility.
Read moreTourism Contracts
An appeals court in Florida reversed an order quashing subpoenas seeking a media company’s records showing its actual costs to produce celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s cooking show “Emeril’s Florida.” The information is sought as part of the Florida House of Representatives’ investigation into the integrity of certain tourism promotion contracts.
Read moreParental Consent for Abortion Bill Sails Through Florida Senate
The Florida Senate passed a controversial abortion bill on Thursday requiring minors to obtain parental consent before undergoing the procedure.
Read more
Woman Who Breached Mar-a-Lago Security Was Off Meds, Lawyer Says
The Connecticut woman who drove through security checkpoints outside President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club Friday, prompting Secret Service to open fire on her, has a history of mental illness and was off her medication at the time of the incident, her attorney claimed.
Read morePolice: 2 Dead, 2 Wounded in Shooting After Florida Funeral
Gunfire erupted after a funeral Saturday in Florida, killing a teenager and a man and leaving two other people wounded, police said.
Read more
High-Speed Chase Leads to Security Breach at Mar-a-Lago
After drawing law enforcement scrutiny for dancing on her vehicle at an upscale hotel Friday morning, a woman took police on a high-speed chase towards President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, driving through security barriers until officers opened fire.
Read more
Tibetan Monks Help Release Sea Turtle in Florida Keys
Visiting Tibetan monks helped release a rehabilitated sea turtle in the Florida Keys Thursday.
Read more