A Tallahassee judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet by open-government advocates, who made a last-ditch effort to stop a Cabinet meeting in Israel because they argue it will violate the state’s open-meeting laws.

The lawsuit, filed by the First Amendment Foundation and four major news organizations, accused the governor and Cabinet members of “willfully violating the law” for trying to hold a Cabinet meeting Wednesday at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, about 6,000 miles from the state Capitol.

Sen. Marco Rubio, on the U.S. Senate East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy Subcommittee, turned his attention to Chinese aggression last week. 

The Florida Republican is looking to impose sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies that “participate in Beijing’s illegitimate activities to aggressively assert its expansive maritime and territorial claims” in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. 

It only takes one.

And if you don’t believe that, ask the folks in Mexico Beach, Panama City, Port St. Joe, Blountstown, Marianna and numerous other Northwest Florida communities. Hurricane Michael roared ashore Oct. 10 and forever changed their lives.

Now, less than eight months later, Florida is poised to enter another hurricane season. From June 1 to Nov. 30, that means a new round of hoping for a calm year --- or at least hoping the wind blows another direction.

In a turnabout from a similar case last year, an administrative law judge Friday decided that state gambling regulators erred when they allowed South Florida’s Calder Race Course to keep its lucrative slot-machine license after demolishing a grandstand where bettors watched horses compete.

The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association challenged a state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering renewal of Calder’s slots license after the grandstand was razed and a slot-machine facility was built near outside areas where patrons could view live races.