Pointing to a law passed this spring, a divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday scrapped plans to take up a closely watched case about the controversial insurance practice known as assignment of benefits.

Justices, in a 4-3 ruling, reversed course on a December decision and said they would not hear a case that stemmed from water damage to a St. Lucie County home. While the two-page ruling did not go into extensive detail, the court’s majority cited a law passed by the Legislature in April and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May.

Arguing the proposed ballot language is “clearly and conclusively defective,” Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the Florida Supreme Court to block a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to prevent possession of assault weapons.

Moody late Friday filed a document that is a first step in arguing before the Supreme Court, which reviews the wording of ballot proposals to make sure they are not misleading and meet other legal standards. The political committee Ban Assault Weapons NOW is trying to get the assault-weapons measure on the November 2020 ballot.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is working with a Republican congresswoman to increase funds and reauthorize a breast cancer education program. 

Last week, Wasserman Schultz, a breast cancer survivor, teamed with U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., to bring out a proposal to add more funds and reauthorize the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act which was first passed in 2010. So far in 2019, more than 331,500 new cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed in the U.S. 

Two South Florida Democrats on Capitol Hill are teaming up with U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to crack down on human trafficking operations by reforming the foreign temporary worker visa process. 

U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel and Ted Deutch, the two Florida Democrats, are working with Cruz and Blumenthal on the “Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act” which they introduced last week. 

Frankel’s office laid out why she had introduced the proposal. 

A study by The Tax Foundation suggests that sales tax holidays, in which states like Florida exempt certain products from sales tax collection during certain times of the year, have political benefits but are not good tax policies.

“The evidence, which includes a 2017 study by Federal Reserve researchers, shows that they simply shift the timing of purchases,” a statement by the Tax Foundation says. The Tax Foundation is a think tank that publishes research studies on tax policy.

It’s time for Florida’s blue-light special.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday and lasting until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 6, shoppers will be able to buy clothes, shoes, school supplies and computer equipment without paying sales taxes --- otherwise known as a sales-tax “holiday.”

The holiday is billed as a back-to-school event. But it’s not only popular with parents looking for bargains as kids get ready for school. Retailers like the holiday as a marketing opportunity. And legislators love touting tax breaks for ordinary families.

A Leon County circuit judge late Friday struck down a state law that threatened tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun regulations.

Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. But in 2011, lawmakers went further by approving a series of penalties that local governments and officials could face if they violated the prohibition.

Summer is supposed to be a sleepy time in the Sunshine State capital.

But partway through the sticky season, the doldrums have yet to descend. Instead, Tallahassee is one hot mess.

A scandal involving a financial regulator has rocked the Florida Cabinet. Elections lawsuits are clogging the courts. And Gov. Ron DeSantis is rattling sabers over a ruling that could revolutionize the state’s medical-marijuana industry.

One sizzling chapter has chilled, at least for now.

A Florida congressman has brought out a proposal to reform the federal tax code to allow more incentives for charitable donations. 

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., who sits on the U.S. Ways and Means Committee, unveiled the “Everyday Philanthropist Act” last week. The bill creates Flexible Giving Accounts (FGAs) to allow employees to designate up to $2,700 annually to the charities of their choice without having to pay taxes on those funds. 

Two veterinarians currently serving in Congress scored a win last week on a bill banning horse soring. 

Back in 2013, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oreg., paired up to introduce the “Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act.” Yoho’s and Schrader’s bill would amend the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to end horse soring.