10 big legal issues in Florida to watch in 2024

State and federal courts in 2024 are expected to buzz with major Florida cases. Here are 10 legal issues to watch in the new year: Abortion: The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments in September in a challenge to a 2022 state law that prevented abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. If the court upholds the law, it also could clear the way for a six-week abortion limit passed in 2023. Meanwhile, justices could decide whether a proposed abortion rights constitutional amendment will go on the 2024 ballot. Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging the court to reject the proposal. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business Beat - Week of December 29th

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

Disney says in lawsuit that DeSantis-appointed government is failing to release public records

Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, has failed to release documents and properly preserve records in violation of Florida public records law. Disney said in the lawsuit filed Friday that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, often referred to as CFTOD, has been so slow in fulfilling its public records duties that it has failed to respond completely to a request the company made seven months ago when it paid more than $2,400 to get emails and text messages belonging to the five district board members appointed by DeSantis. [Source: WTSP]

Central Florida housing market touts largest supply since 2019

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association’s November report detailed that 8,202 homes were available for sale, a year-to-year increase of 14%, and a 5% increase since October. ORRA President Lisa Hill said in an email this is a good sign for the market going into 2024. “A balanced market is a six-month supply of homes. In November, for the first time since January 2019, we have more than four months of supply,” Hill said. The market has had a tumultuous year, seeing some of the highest interest rates and home prices in decades, as well as some of its lowest supply inventory. [Source: WMFE]

Confederate statues in Florida could be off limits if lawmakers pass this bill

Confederate monuments have come down in Orlando, Tampa and most recently Jacksonville as part of a nationwide reckoning with public memorials that commemorate the Confederacy. But if a bill becomes law next year, local leaders could be fined and even booted from office if they remove those monuments. State Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, is pushing the measure to protect monuments, including memorials to the Confederacy, and punish local officials who remove them. He said his bill is retroactive and seeks to restore monuments removed by local governments after Jan. 1, 2017. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Commentary: Florida, we need to talk about sea rise and property values [Miami Herald]
Floridians clearly like rolling the dice. We live on a peninsula that sticks out directly into the path of hurricanes, but we keep building on the coasts like crazy. We’re the lightning capital of the U.S., yet we also have more golf courses than pretty much any other state. We drive on Interstate 95, for heaven’s sake.

› Brevard officials hope to get Brightline train stop, but that could be years away [Florida Today]
With dozens of Brightline passenger trains passing through Central and South Brevard County every day on their trips between Orlando and Miami, demand is building for the passenger rail company to establish a station within Brevard. But that could be years off.

› Lawmakers look to curb student absenteeism [The News Service of Florida]
Florida lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session could look to address the problem of chronic absenteeism among public-school students. Data collected by the Florida Department of Education showed that 20.9 percent of students in public schools, including students in adult education courses, missed 21 or more school days during the 2021-2022 academic year.

› Spurred by a new variant, COVID cases in Florida doubled before the holidays [WUSF]
A recent report shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Florida doubled from the previous month, spurred by a new highly contagious variant. The new variant is called JN.1. It's an omicron offshoot that makes up about 44% of COVID cases across the country, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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› Condos would be eligible for home hardening grants if Legislature agrees [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Since Florida began making thousands of dollars available to single-family homeowners for storm-hardening improvements, condominium owners have wondered why they were left out. That could change on July 1 if a bill introduced to the Florida House of Representatives on Wednesday is enacted during the upcoming legislative session that begins on Jan. 9.

› The future of the US economy is in the South [Business Insider]
Population growth is among the key drivers of economic growth, and Americans are clustering in the South. The 16 states that make up the region, per BofA, accounted for 39% of the entire US population as of 2022. Since 1960, the region has been responsible for nearly half of the increase in the US population.

› Fertilizer legislation, which impacts algae blooms, is likely to come for Florida's 2024 session [WUSF]
The advocacy organization 1000 Friends of Florida recently discussed what to expect ahead of the state’s legislative session, which starts Jan. 9. Haley Busch, with the nonprofit, said near the end of the last session, a pause on local fertilizer ordinances was "slipped" into the state's budget, so it wasn’t a standalone bill.

› Boom! Yipe! How to protect your dog from freaking out over New Year's fireworks [The Florida Times-Union]
Break out the fireworks for New Year's Eve! But remember that for your dog, this could be one of the most terrifying nights of the year. Lots of weird stuff happening. Lots of new people at the party. Unfamiliar smells. But the worst are the massive booms and deafening cracks turning your neighborhood into a brilliantly colored combat zone for hours at a time.