Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida

Growing faster than almost any other state, Florida’s estimated population topped 23.3 million people this year, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.The Census Bureau estimated that Florida had 23,372,215 people as of July 1, up from 22,904,868 a year earlier. Florida’s increase of 467,347 people was second only to Texas, which gained 562,941.

Florida education leaders are trying to fend off a lawsuit filed by major publishing companies and authors over the removal of books from school libraries, disputing allegations that a controversial state law violates the First Amendment.

Republicans had a great night. Democrats? Not so much. And 60 is a magic number in Florida. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s elections.

Hurricane Helene could cause $3 billion to $6 billion in private insurance losses and as much as $1 billion in losses in federal flood-insurance and crop-insurance programs, according to an analysis Wednesday by the global reinsurance broker Gallagher Re.The analysis came as Helene is expected Thursday night to slam into North Florida as a major hurricane, after whipping up heavy storm surge in coastal communities as it races through the Gulf of Mexico.

A federal appeals court Wednesday said a former Florida Gulf Coast University student cannot remain anonymous in a lawsuit he filed against the school after being disciplined for sexual harassment.The former student filed the lawsuit against the university as “John Doe” and argued that an investigation into allegations that he had non-consensual sex with another student was a “sham” and that he was a victim of discrimination, according to arguments filed by his attorneys at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Florida this week argued a federal appeals court should overturn a ruling about permitting for projects that affect wetlands, contending that “disastrous consequences flow” from the ruling.Attorneys for the state late Monday filed a 74-page brief at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the battle about a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to the state.

In a case closely watched by Florida businesses and environmental groups, the Biden administration Monday argued that a dispute about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands should go back to a federal district judge.Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies contended in a 66-page appeals-court brief that U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss made errors this year when he vacated a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that shifted permitting authority from federal officials to Florida.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments about the constitutionality of a congressional redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in 2022, with Chief Justice Carlos Muniz pointing to potentially far-reaching future effects of the court’s decision.As he questioned Daniel Nordby, an attorney for the Legislature, about key issues, Muniz said the case could involve “potentially a paradigm shift.”“What does redistricting 2030 look like if you win?” Muniz asked.

Attorneys for a transgender man and the parents of transgender children have asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a decision that at least temporarily allowed Florida to move forward with restrictions on treatments for gender dysphoria.The attorneys Tuesday filed a 38-page motion that argued a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals erred last week when it granted Florida’s request for a stay of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle that blocked the restrictions.

The Biden administration this week urged a U.S. district judge to toss out a Florida lawsuit challenging a new federal rule that requires more gun sellers to be licensed and run background checks on buyers, disputing state arguments about lost tax revenue from gun shows.