In a move that could affect thousands of Florida inmates, attorneys representing disabled prisoners and the Department of Corrections have settled a lawsuit accusing the state of discriminating against prisoners who are deaf, blind or confined to wheelchairs.
Florida Supreme Court justices appeared highly skeptical of a Central Florida state attorney's assertion that prosecutors have absolute discretion in death-penalty cases during arguments Wednesday in a legal dispute between the prosecutor and Gov. Rick Scott.
Florida health officials have laid out a new process to implement the voter-approved constitutional amendment broadly legalizing medical marijuana, as they attempt to meet deadlines included in the November ballot measure.
A Canadian-backed firm will take over management of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, one of Florida's seven medical marijuana operators, the companies announced Wednesday.
The deal involving Aphria Inc., a marijuana grower and processor based in Ontario, and Chestnut Hill comes on the verge of a massive expansion of Florida's medical-marijuana market, sparked by a November constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical pot.
In a long-awaited decision, an administrative law judge Tuesday called for the state to issue two new licenses to medical marijuana operators, saying competing businesses --- which lost out to another operator selected by Florida health officials in 2015 --- were virtually tied.
Administrative Law Judge John Van Laningham's recommended order came months after a hearing in the matter and long after he decided that the winning licensee, Alpha Foliage, known as Surterra Therapeutics, should have been ineligible to apply for a license because of changes in ownership.
In a highly anticipated decision, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday squashed a broad expansion of slot machines in at least eight counties, saying the decision to allow pari-mutuels to add the lucrative games rests with the Legislature, not voters.
Even while Florida lawmakers have insisted they do not want patients to smoke pot, one of the state's seven licensed medical-marijuana vendors on Tuesday began selling whole-flower cannabis.
Eligible patients would not have to wait 90 days to get medical marijuana if doctors recommend the treatment, under a compromise measure ready for a House vote just days before next Friday's end of the annual legislative session.
The measure, proposed by House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues, brings the House closer in line with the Senate's approach to carrying out a November constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana for patients with a broad swath of debilitating medical conditions.
The Seminole Tribe would not be required to guarantee $3 billion in payments to the state in exchange for adding craps and roulette to the tribe's casino operations, under the latest offer in gambling negotiations between the House and Senate.
After years of stalemate, House and Senate leaders appear to be closing in on a deal to revamp Florida's gambling industry and strike an agreement with the Seminole Tribe in what could be a considerable expansion of gambling throughout the state.
The House made what Sen. Bill Galvano, the Senate's chief negotiator on gambling issues, called a "substantial offer" Wednesday morning. The proposal moved toward the Senate's pari-mutuel industry friendly plan, as the May 5 end of the legislative session nears.
