Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida

Pointing to ongoing threats to manatees, a U.S. district judge Friday said the state has violated the federal Endangered Species Act in its regulation of wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon.Orlando-based Judge Carlos Mendoza issued a 21-page decision that sided with the environmental group Bear Warriors United, which argued discharges into the waterway along the East Coast led to the demise of seagrass and, as a result, deaths and other harm to manatees.

Pointing to the federal government’s power to regulate immigration, a U.S. district judge Friday temporarily blocked a new Florida law aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigrants.Miami-based Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 14-page decision granting a request for a temporary restraining order against the law, which the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved in February.

House Speaker Daniel Perez said Wednesday he wants to lower the state’s sales-tax rate, trimming revenue by almost $5 billion a year.Perez, R-Miami, told House members he has directed Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, to produce a bill next week that would lower the rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.

A federal appeals court will hear arguments in May in a closely watched case about whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 improperly shifted permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday scheduled arguments May 5 as Florida and the EPA seek to overturn a district judge’s ruling in the lawsuit filed by conservation groups.

With school districts across the state expressing support, Florida senators Monday started moving forward with a bill that would repeal requirements aimed at later daily start times in many high schools.Lawmakers in 2023 approved the requirements, citing a need for older students to get more sleep. The requirements are slated to take effect in 2026, but as the deadline has neared, districts have said they are struggling to comply.

After announcing his candidacy Tuesday night on Fox News, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds filed paperwork Wednesday to formally enter the 2026 race for governor.Donalds, a Naples Republican, became the first major candidate to enter the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds made the move after receiving backing last week from President Donald Trump.

Three days into his job, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday announced a class-action lawsuit that alleges Target Corp. did not properly disclose to investors the risks of a 2023 LGBTQ Pride campaign that drew a consumer backlash and caused a drop in the retailer’s stock price.Uthmeier and private attorneys filed the 163-page lawsuit in federal court in Fort Myers on behalf of the State Board of Administration, which manages Florida’s massive pension fund and other investments. The lawsuit is one of at least three similar cases against Target in Florida.