News Service of Florida

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.

A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a federal rule dealing with Title IX.

Saying it opposes “any form of academic censorship,” the United Faculty of Florida on Monday objected to a directive issued this month by university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues about reviewing textbooks and other materials for “antisemitic material” or “anti-Israeli” bias.

The Florida Trident, a publication of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, called a statement, made by the DeSantis Administration Friday, "a masterpiece of spin and understatement" that credited “overwhelming interest” for temporarily pausing a scheme to put golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts on nine of Florida’s pristine state parks.

The Florida Department of Transportation has been able to get permits from the federal government, including for projects in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Moving Florida Forward” initiative, as a major legal battle continues over permitting for projects that affect wetlands, a department official said Thursday. Siding with environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in February vacated a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that shifted permitting authority from federal officials to the state.

As conservation groups object to the possibility of adding lodging, pickleball and golf at state parks, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection late Wednesday released information targeting what it said was “confusion” about the plan.“Our efforts to enhance public access, recreation and accommodations are for everyone,” the department said as part of a series of online posts. “The public’s input is welcomed and always valued.”

State economists on Wednesday increased general-revenue projections by a total of about $2 billion for the current fiscal year and next year, giving a boost to lawmakers as they start preparing to draw up a budget during the 2025 legislative session.A panel of economists known as the Revenue Estimating Conference said about half of the projected increase is tied to anticipated earnings on historically high state investments receiving favorable interest rates.

Estimated insured losses from Hurricane Debby reached $113.8 million Wednesday, as claims continue to be filed after the storm, which made landfall Aug. 5 in Taylor County, according to data on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Insurers reported they had received 15,326 claims as of Wednesday, including 9,416 involving residential property. Other types of claims included damage to vehicles and commercial property.

A California-based producer of lab-grown poultry filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new Florida ban on selling or manufacturing “cultivated” meat.UPSIDE Foods, Inc., contends, in part, that the law violates a constitutional prohibition on favoring in-state businesses over out-of-state competitors.

With Hurricane Debby having little effect on oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, average gasoline prices dropped 14 cents a gallon in Florida during the past week. The AAA auto club AAA said Florida motorists Monday paid an average of $3.32 for a gallon of regular unleaded, down from $3.46 a week earlier.