News Service of Florida

A federal judge has refused to block two parts of a new Florida elections law that placed restrictions on voter-registration groups, while the state appealed an earlier ruling that said other changes in the law likely are unconstitutional.Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Tuesday denied a request by the League of Women Voters of Florida for a preliminary injunction against two parts of the law that the group contends violate First Amendment rights.

Farmers Insurance may know a thing or two, and one of them is that the company is not going to write new policies or renew existing policies. The non-renewals will play out over several months.

The market for reinsurance — a critical piece of Florida’s property-insurance system — is improving. But it comes at a price.Those are takeaways from new reports as Florida insurers try to bounce back after two years of homeowners losing policies and facing major rate increases because of financial troubles in the industry.Reinsurance, which is essentially insurance for insurers, helps drive the catastrophe-prone Florida insurance system. When the market for reinsurance is tight and costly, the effects trickle down to homeowners’ policies.

A committee appointed by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muniz will hold its first meeting Friday to begin looking at consolidation in the 20-circuit system. Muniz issued an order June 30 appointing the committee after receiving a request from Renner.

The AAA auto club said Monday that a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida cost $3.46, up from $3.27 a week earlier. Naples and West Palm areas lead the state.

The Florida Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear arguments Sept. 8 in a case that could play a major role in the future of abortion rights in the state.The court issued an order scheduling a hearing in a challenge to a 2022 law that prevented abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The outcome of the case also will affect a law passed this year that would bar abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — and could determine whether a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution will protect abortion rights.

After Florida’s first recorded case of a contagious disease fatal to deer, wildlife officials said Thursday other cases are likely and that it will be a “long-term marathon” to address the issue.But it also could mean a short-term increase in hunting limits in the region of Northwest Florida where the case was found, as officials seek to quickly collect samples to determine the prevalence of chronic wasting disease.

Weekly political notes from The News Service of Florida: Senate President Kathleen Passidomo says she wants to focus on health-care issues during the 2023 legislative session.

The state this week pushed back against a challenge to a new law that restricts people from China and six other countries from owning property in Florida, disputing arguments that it is unconstitutional and discriminates based on “race and national origin.”

"The challenged provisions exemplify something Florida has struggled with in recent years; namely, governing within the bounds set by the United States Constitution," Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a 58-page decision, that blocked some parts of the state's new elections law.