The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
September 30, 2020
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The Florida Bar
FOSTER-MORALES REFLECTS ON LESSONS LEARNED DURING HER TOWN HALL TOUR
The Florida Bar | Article | September 30, 2020
After 20 town hall meetings in 58 days devoted to finding out how lawyers are dealing with COVID-19 stresses, Florida Bar President Dori Foster-Morales said one lesson is that “technology is not the biggest problem.” Rather, Foster-Morales said, “The real problem is how do you balance your home and work life when they’re in the same place, and how do you have a life when you’re isolated in a pandemic?” Foster-Morales based that observation on answers to polls conducted as part of the Zoom town hall meetings, and preliminary numbers indicate the attendees represent a good sampling of Bar membership.
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Legislative
NEW FLORIDA LAWS GO INTO EFFECT ON OCT. 1
WFLA | Article | September 29, 2020
New Florida laws go into effect on Oct. 1 after being passed during this year’s legislative session. Of the 201 bills that made their way through Florida’s House and Senate to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, most went into effect at the beginning of the state’s fiscal year, July 1. But beginning Oct. 1, Florida will have 24 new laws enacted dealing with everything from veterans’ protections to license plate guidelines.
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Judiciary
FLORIDA SCHOOL OPENING LAWSUIT GETS NUDGE FORWARD
Tampa Bay Times | Article | September 29, 2020
A decision by the First District Court of Appeal could put the state’s school reopening lawsuit back on track. In a three-sentence order Tuesday [Sept. 29], the court announced it would not combine the original case seeking temporary injunction against the Department of Education emergency order telling districts to open classrooms with a second related case asking to reconsider the Florida Education Association’s standing to bring the suit. By keeping the two matters separate, the court paved the way for an earlier ruling on the injunction issue than if they had been combined.
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Legal Profession
‘FOR WHITE PEOPLE’: WATCH THE VIDEO AS BLACK LAWYERS OPEN UP ABOUT MICROAGGRESSIONS
Daily Business Review | Article | September 29, 2020
This is the first installment in Law.com’s series of roundtable discussions on racism in the legal profession. The aim is to facilitate honest — and often difficult — conversations with the ultimate goal of helping to make progress toward a more inclusive and diverse legal industry. The first video conversation focuses on the “sustained trauma” caused by microaggressions toward Black attorneys in the workplace with moderator Gordon Weekes, executive chief assistant public defender and Democratic public defender-elect in Broward County.
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Civil Justice
MARION COUNTY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR CAUGHT IN DISPUTE BETWEEN FEDERAL AND STATE MARIJUANA POLICY
WUFT | Article | September 29, 2020
Former Belleview High School Dean of Students Michael Hickman lost his job after testing positive for cannabinoids in December. In August during an administrative court hearing held via Zoom, Hickman described his medical history, and why he started using medical marijuana in 2018. Following that hearing, State Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk recommended Hickman’s firing, returning the final decision to the Marion County School Board, which will determine at a Thursday [Oct. 1] hearing whether to take the judge’s recommendation to terminate Hickman.
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Criminal Justice
FEDS GRANT $2.8M TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN FLORIDA
WINK | Article | September 29, 2020
U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced Tuesday [Sept. 29] that the Middle District of Florida has received $2,879,856 from the federal government in the fight against human trafficking. The funding will help the state’s efforts to combat human trafficking and to provide services to trafficking victims.
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Legal Discipline
BROWARD LAWYER ACCUSED OF RAISING $100 MILLION FOR FRAUD SCHEME
Daily Business Review | Article | September 29, 2020
Fort Lauderdale attorney Andrew Dale Ledbetter was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and securities fraud Tuesday [Sept. 29], making him the latest in a series of people to be criminally charged over links to defunct Hallandale Beach commercial lending company 1 Global Capital LLC. Ledbetter is accused of fraudulently collecting more than $100 million from investors since 2015. The Florida Supreme Court granted the Petition for Disciplinary Revocation for Ledbetter, which is equivalent to disbarment, on July 23.
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Judiciary
FIGHT OVER AUTOMATIC TIPPING AT FLORIDA RESTAURANTS MOVES AHEAD
Orlando Weekly | Article | September 29, 2020
The Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal Tuesday [Sept. 29] cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit alleging that restaurants at Ritz-Carlton hotels in Florida did not give proper notice before tacking on automatic tips to diners’ bills. The plaintiff, Michael Fox, contended that one bill did not mention an automatic tip was being added, while two others said “suggested” 18 percent gratuities would be added – though the bills included the tip amounts. Fox alleged that Ritz-Carlton used the same practices at 49 restaurants across the state over a four-year period and that potential class members were affected in the same way.
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Judiciary
CIRCUIT JUDGE DAVID GOODING RETIRING
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | September 29, 2020
Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge David Gooding will retire effective Jan. 1, creating a vacancy on the bench. Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked the Fourth Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission to meet and provide him with names of qualified nominees for the vacancy. The deadline for attorneys and county judges to apply for the vacancy is 5 p.m. Oct. 12. The application form may be downloaded from the Executive Office of the Governor’s website flgov.com.
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Wellness Wednesday
REALLY, REALLY SHORT WORKOUTS
The Florida Bar | Article | September 30, 2020
If you think you don’t have time to exercise, think again. H.I.I.T. may be the workout for you. A solitary minute of hard work buried in 10 minutes of activity can make a big difference. Here are some really short workouts that make a really big difference.