Families with critically ill children who relied on Medicaid-paid health providers were stranded in some cases. A father in Lake Worth was forced to cut back his contractor work to remain home and care for his son when payments stopped. A mother in Ocala said the company that helped care for her 15-year-old disabled son temporarily shut down because of the payment problems.
Read More »Landmark Florida case challenging transgender athlete law to depend on related case before US appeals court, judge says
The outcome of a landmark civil rights lawsuit being waged over Florida’s new law banning transgender girls from girls’ sports teams in schools may depend on the verdict in a related legal battle, a judge has ruled.
Read More »Senate effectively ends efforts to overturn Florida’s ‘free kill’ law protecting doctors in malpractice lawsuits
Consumers said the decision in the Republican-controlled Legislature improperly shields negligent doctors. It represents a victory for doctors and hospitals in Florida – and the state Chamber of Commerce – who said the current limits in the law keep their malpractice insurance premiums affordable.
Read More »Florida considers keeping details of some child deaths secret
Florida’s Legislature is considering proposals to keep secret details about the deaths of children who die in domestic violence cases, in deference to the mother of two young boys murdered last summer by their father.
Read More »Prosecutors charge prominent real estate brokers with racketeering, stealing trade secrets
State prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged two prominent real estate brokers with felony criminal charges of racketeering, fraud and stealing trade secrets as part of a long-running investigation into a business dispute with their former employer. The men, Daniel James Drotos, 34, and Michael Steven Ryals, 65, were the same …
Read More »Small, historically Black Florida town set to lose Black congressman under DeSantis redistricting
MADISON, Fla. – A small, historically Black city an hour east of Tallahassee is in the crosshairs of a controversial redistricting plan by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The plan would radically redraw the state’s 5th congressional district and could cost the Black Democrat who represents it his seat in Congress. Madison …
Read More »New phone, who dis? Florida cracking down on anonymous political text messages
The Florida Election Commission is cracking down on political texts that don't explicitly say who paid for them, with new rules intended to improve transparency for voters and stem the spread of misinformation.
Read More »Sheriff’s office names new bloodhound Miss Peggy after beloved employee who died from COVID-19
A sheriff’s office in Florida’s Panhandle is naming its new bloodhound puppy “Miss Peggy” in a heart-warming tribute to a beloved, longtime office employee who died after battling COVID-19. Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford over the weekend asked for the blessing of the family of Margaret “Peggy” MacDonald, 63. She …
Read More »US judge blocks ‘unconstitutional’ UF rules limiting professors from testifying against state
A federal judge on Friday blocked the University of Florida from barring professors from testifying as expert witnesses against the state government, the latest development in a national controversy over efforts to limit the role of three academics in a voting rights lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Read More »Florida appeals court dismisses wife’s ‘confession letter,’ upholds father’s conviction for starving baby to death
A father convicted of starving a 22-day-old daughter to death will remain behind bars for life after a Florida appeals court rejected his arguments that his young wife confessed responsibility. In an interview, he portrayed himself as a caring father who was unaware the infant – who weighed only 4 …
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