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.
April 21, 2025
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The Florida Bar
15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT HONORS PRO BONO CHAMPIONS AT ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
The Florida Bar | Article | April 21, 2025
Florida Bar President Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., former Florida Bar Presidents Michelle Suskauer and Gary Lesser, and circuit court judges were among the more than 80 guests who recently attended the 15th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee’s Fifth Annual Pro Bono Awards Ceremony and Ice Cream Social. President Sanchez-Medina, 15th Circuit Chief Judge Glen Kelley, and Judge Lisa Small, chair of the 15th Circuit Pro Bono Committee, praised the award winners for their dedication and encouraged continued pro bono service. “This is really what symbolizes the best of being an attorney, the ability to give back,” said Chief Judge Kelley. The ceremony recognized attorneys who provided pro bono legal services through the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, awarding pins based on service hours and presenting special awards for exceptional volunteerism. In total, 55 attorneys provided 3,463 billable hours to clients pro bono with a value of $1,160,105 in free legal services.
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The Florida Bar
FLORIDA BAR CREATES CYBERSECURITY GUIDELINES, AS SOME LAWYERS RESIST GETTING ON BOARD
Daily Business Review | Article | April 17, 2025
The Florida Bar has officially established recommended guidelines aimed at helping lawyers prepare for ever-increasing cyber-attacks by setting up an incident response plan. The new guidelines come as lawyers in the space continue voicing concerns over some law firms resisting change, which in this case entails auditing a firm’s digital infrastructure. The process could cost money, but lawyers who fought to get the guidelines in place argue that the cost of losing clients or even facing lawsuits over data breaches is even more costly. The guidelines are strictly recommendations, not enforced Bar rules. But the Bar is strongly recommending firms to follow the guidelines in order to meet industry standards and help prevent further complications during any potential data breaches. The Florida Bar is the first state Bar to provide direct recommendations regarding cybersecurity best practices, according to Fox Rothschild partner Franklin Zemel, and he hopes other states follow.
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Civil Justice
WHAT IS ROBLOX? FLORIDA AG DEMANDS TO KNOW HOW GAMING PLATFORM PROTECTS CHILDREN FROM ABUSE
USA Today Network – Florida | Article | April 18, 2025
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is going after one of the biggest and most popular online gaming sites to demand answers on how they’re protecting kids from predators. On Wednesday [April 16], Uthmeier issued a subpoena to Roblox, the massive gaming platform that allows users to create, play and share their own games with an average of 85.3 million daily users as of February. An estimated 40% of those users are under the age of 13, Uthmeier said. Roblox has come under fire before for concerns about exposure to graphic images, abuse and child predation on its platform. Users are permitted to message each other using the platform’s chat functions. In response to complaints, the company announced last November it was implementing new safety measures for users under 13, including permanently removing the ability to message others outside of games and allowing parents and caregivers to view and manage their child’s account.
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Legislature
BILL MAKING IT EASIER TO PAY FOR PUBLIC RECORDS STALLS THIS SESSION
Florida Politics | Article | April 19, 2025
A bill to eliminate some of the hoops in obtaining public records doesn’t seem likely to advance this Session. SB 798/HB 671 would have required public agencies to provide an electronic option to pay for public record requests. Oftentimes, people who want to obtain a police report, law enforcement body cam footage, court transcripts or other public records are stuck writing personal checks or obtaining money orders to pay for the records if the government agency doesn’t accept credit card payments online. However, neither the House or Senate bill has been called to a committee vote so far as the Legislature’s Session is winding down. Regular Session ends May 2 under the current schedule. Tuesday marks the 50th day of Session. Senate rules say, “Unless approved by the President, no committee shall meet after the fiftieth day of a regular session except the Rules Committee.”
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Civil Justice
ORLANDO’S TRUST ACT REMAINS IN PLACE AMID LEGAL REVIEW, MAYOR SAYS
Orlando Sentinel | Article | April 17, 2025
After days of turmoil for Orlando’s Trust Act, Mayor Buddy Dyer said the policy remains in place and is under legal review from city attorneys. The policy, which bars city employees from asking a crime victim or witness and others not accused of crimes about their immigration status, drew fire this week from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who labeled it a “sanctuary policy” and threatened “consequences” for Dyer if he continued with it, including his possible removal from office. The “Fair Treatment of All (Trust Act Policy)” was enacted in 2018 by a vote of the city council, whose members felt it was a necessary step to bolster confidence in immigrant communities to speak to police officers if they’re crime victims or witnesses. City officials have maintained it wasn’t intended to be a sanctuary policy, or flout federal law — and that sentiment was explicitly written into the policy from the first.
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Judiciary
COURTROOM DEDICATED TO HONORABLE WOODROW W. HATCHER
Jackson County Times | Article | April 17, 2025
In a ceremony filled with admiration, storytelling, and heartfelt gratitude, the misdemeanor courtroom at the Jackson County Courthouse was officially dedicated on April 11 to retired County Judge Woodrow W. Hatcher, whose decades of service and groundbreaking legacy continue to shape Florida’s legal landscape. The courtroom, located inside the courthouse at 4445 Lafayette Street, now bears the name of a man who not only upheld the law but modernized it, humanized it, and left an indelible mark on the judicial system across Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit and beyond. Judge Hatcher was widely regarded as an innovator. In the 1990s, he became the first judge in Florida to use audiovisual technology in court, allowing remote appearances for arraignments, first appearances, and non-jury trials — a concept that is commonplace today but groundbreaking at the time. In 1998, the Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency recognized him as the state’s most outstanding judge, awarding him for distinguished service to the judiciary and the citizens of Florida.