December 3, 2023
Government/Politics & Law
A Bridge Too Far
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that contractor Skanska was negligent in its response to Hurricane Sally in 2020 when more than two dozen of its barges in Pensacola Bay broke loose from their moorings, causing massive damage to the $400-million bridge it was building.
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Published on 10/25/2023
Knocked Down, Not Out
On the day in March that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Florida Legislature's historic changes in the laws governing the personal injury litigation arena, the chief operating officer of Orlando-based Morgan & Morgan wrote a memo to staff. A ubiquitous advertiser in Florida and nationally, under founder and main pitchman John “For the People” Morgan, the firm boasts of more than 800 lawyers and $15 billion recovered for clients.
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Published on 8/17/2023
The Property Case
Last year in Florida, the Moises Gross law firm in Coral Gables ranked sixth among law firms in Florida filing suits against property insurance companies. It was high-volume, low-damages work — tens of thousands of dollars per claim, generally.
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Published on 8/10/2023
A “Whopper” of a Verdict
Earlier this year when a Broward County jury awarded nearly $8 million to Richard Tulecki for a slip-and-fall accident in a Burger King restroom, his personal injury attorneys heralded the verdict as a triumph in the face of Florida's newly enacted limits on tort lawsuits.
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Published on 8/10/2023
What the Legislature Did
Among other measures, the Legislature changed Florida law on:
COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE…
What changed:
Previously, Florida was one of 12 “pure” comparative negligence states. Imagine a pedestrian on his phone who...
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Published on 8/9/2023
Reading Between the Lines
Twenty years ago, St. Petersburg criminal defense attorney Lucas Fleming began noticing that many of his teenaged clients had something in common: They could barely read.
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Published on 7/26/2023
Dial-an-Expert, No Charge
Steven D. Rubin, a South Florida real estate attorney for more than four decades, jokes that he has a bright idea every 40 years. Several years back, he had the...
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Published on 7/21/2023
An Ounce of Prevention
Scott Westheimer, the new president of the Florida Bar, says education, mentoring and other proactive approaches can keep attorneys out of trouble.
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Published on 7/21/2023
Serving those who serve: Florida attorneys' pro bono law project aids active duty military
Commercial litigation attorney Josh Roberts of Holland & Knight in Jacksonville recalls one of his first pro bono cases around 2008, when he helped an active-duty member of the Navy regain custody of his six-year-old son. The client had divorced his wife, who suffered from an addiction. He would pick up his son, only to find the ex-wife passed out on the sofa and his son neglected.
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Published on 7/19/2023
Flood Zone Option
Some flood insurance policyholders in Panama City, seeing their household budgets squeezed by the steady rise in premiums, now have another option.
Under the state's federally funded Rebuild Florida Voluntary Home Buyout Program, they can sell their homes at fair market value to the city.
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Published on 6/23/2023
Insurance: Headwinds
While the Legislature addressed property insurance during special sessions last year, work remains as premiums continue to rise and insurers bail out. In the meantime, health care providers still struggle with rising costs, mental health coverage issues and staff shortages. Also on the agenda, there's opportunity for rare bipartisan agreement on two key issues: Resiliency and water.
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Published on 3/8/2023
Health Care: Lingering Effects
Three years after it began sweeping the country, COVID-19 continues to cast a pall over the state's health care policy arena.
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Published on 3/8/2023
2023 Florida Legislature Priorities
As Florida's population surges and the state posts a record surplus, there are common causes for Republican and Democratic legislators convening March 7: Defending against natural disasters and water shortages, upgrading infrastructure and providing for affordable housing and workforce needs.
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Published on 3/8/2023
Update: Election results show Black, Hispanic women candidates bringing new perspectives to Florida politics
In the November 2022 issue of FLORIDA TREND, we profiled several Black and Hispanic women candidates who are part of a trend of more women of color running for political office. The 2022 election set a new high bar for women of color in Florida politics: 49% of women candidates running for major state or federal office in Florida are women of color.
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Published on 11/10/2022
Black and Hispanic women running for office are shaking up Florida's political landscape
Ashley Gantt already has two careers under her belt: Teacher and attorney. Now she's embarking on a third: State legislator.
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Published on 11/7/2022
AI-based program makes easy work of legal contract reviews
Reviewing contracts for legal purposes takes a lot of repetitive attention to detail. The use of artificial intelligence at the law firm Foley & Lardner makes that type of review easier, according to Jacksonville-based partner Chanley Howell.
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Published on 10/27/2022
What the generational shift of Florida voters means for the future
The following excerpt is from the forthcoming book Generational Politics in the United States (University of Michigan Press). Susan A. MacManus is a University of South Florida professor emerita of political science. Anthony A. Cilluffo is an economist and holds a master's in public administration from Princeton University.
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Published on 10/13/2022
Florida's rapid rise of No Party Affiliation voters
Amid the acrimony of partisan politics, the ranks of Florida's unaffiliated voters are growing rapidly. Their elusive and critical votes reflect changing demographics.
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Published on 10/12/2022
Florida's new Secretary of the Department of Management Services to oversee state's IT infrastructure
Former U.S. Department of Homeland Security official Pedro Allende has been appointed Florida's new Secretary of the Department of Management Services, which is tasked with overseeing cyber-security for state government and administering tens of millions of dollars in new funding for government cyber-resiliency programs.
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Published on 8/31/2022
The Case Against Scot Strems
South Florida attorney Scot Strems built his law firm suing insurance companies — and built the insurers' case for reining in lawyers.
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Published on 8/24/2022
FAMU's Economic Justice Initiative provides free legal services to minority business owners
With a $110,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank, Florida A&M University's College of Law is spearheading its Economic Justice Initiative, which will provide free legal services to help minority-owned small-business owners as they launch and grow their enterprises.
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Published on 7/26/2022
Attorney Mischelle D'Angelone reflects on her childhood and why she does so much pro bono work
Pasco County-based Mischelle D'Angelone, one of 20 lawyers recognized this year by the Florida Bar for service to low-income and disadvantaged clients, points to her own childhood as the reason why she does so much pro bono work, particularly work on behalf of children and families.
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Published on 7/20/2022
Noise litigation attorney Mark Bentley's Beatles passion project debuts at Florida Film Festival
Attorney Mark Bentley of Tampa turned his passion for the Beatles into a documentary that kicked off the Florida Film Festival in Orlando.
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Published on 7/14/2022
The Florida Bar Association's new president Gary S. Lesser outlines his goals for the next year
The Florida Bar's new president wants more mentoring, awareness and professionalism.
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Published on 7/12/2022
Florida Icon: Clarence Anthony
I experienced racism at every point in my life, whether it was personal or professional. There were things that occurred that were traumatic, that would hurt your feelings, that would motivate you, as well, and that's how I tend to use those moments — to motivate me.
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Published on 4/5/2022
Business Beat - Week of December 1st
