Florida Legal Issues to Watch in 2025
Book Battles
Publishers, authors, and parents have filed federal lawsuits against a 2023 state education law and school-district decisions that have led to removing books from school libraries or restricting access. The lawsuits allege First Amendment violations, while the law’s backers argue it helps remove sexually inappropriate material.
Campus Closures
After COVID-19 temporarily shut down university campuses in 2020, lawsuits were filed in Florida and across the country arguing students should receive refunds of money they paid for services such as transportation, health care, and athletics. The Florida Supreme Court is weighing a lawsuit filed against the University of Florida over fees paid for these services.
Gun Age
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a Second Amendment challenge to a 2018 Florida law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. The law, challenged by the National Rifle Association, passed after the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
Medicaid Eligibility
A federal district judge heard testimony this summer in a class-action lawsuit about people who were dropped from Florida’s Medicaid program after the end of a federal public-health emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit alleges the state did not properly inform people before dropping them from the program.
Redistricting Fight
In a case that centers on the overhaul of a North Florida congressional district, the state Supreme Court is looking at the constitutionality of a redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in 2022. Voting-rights groups went to the Supreme Court after the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld the plan.
Social Media Platforms
Florida and tech-industry groups continue to battle in federal court about a 2021 state law targeting major social-media platforms. The law, in part, prevents platforms from banning political candidates from their sites. It passed after platforms blocked then-former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Social Media Restrictions
State lawmakers this year passed a high-profile measure that seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on some platforms — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Tech-industry groups are challenging the law on First Amendment grounds.
Stop Woke
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in June in a battle about a 2022 Florida law that restricts how race-related concepts can be taught in state universities — a law that DeSantis dubbed the "Stop WOKE Act." The state appealed after a district judge issued a preliminary injunction, ruling the law violated First Amendment rights.
Transgender Laws
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a challenge to a Florida law that bans Medicaid coverage for transgender people seeking hormone therapy and puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria. It also is weighing a law that prevents minors from starting to receive such treatments and adds restrictions for adults seeking the treatments.
Wetlands Permits
Florida and the federal government are appealing a U.S. district judge’s ruling in a dispute about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands. The ruling sided with environmental groups and vacated a 2020 decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that shifted permitting authority from federal officials to Florida.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many legal issues pending in state and federal courts in Florida, with significant implications for various aspects of life, from education to social media, gun rights, and healthcare. As the new year unfolds, these cases will continue to shape the legal landscape in Florida and beyond.
FAQs
Q: What is the main issue in the "Book Battles" case?
A: The main issue is the removal of books from school libraries or restriction of access, and the alleged First Amendment violations.
Q: What is the "Stop WOKE" law?
A: The "Stop WOKE" law restricts how race-related concepts can be taught in state universities.
Q: What is the main issue in the "Transgender Laws" case?
A: The main issue is the ban on Medicaid coverage for transgender people seeking hormone therapy and puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria.
Q: What is the "Redistricting Fight" about?
A: The redistricting fight is about the constitutionality of a plan to redraw a North Florida congressional district.
Q: What is the "Wetlands Permits" case about?
A: The case is about the permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands, with the federal government and Florida disagreeing on who should have authority.
