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.
October 15, 2025
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The Florida Bar
BILL WOULD REQUIRE VIDEO REVIEW OF CONTRACTS FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED
The Florida Bar | Article | October 15, 2025
A South Florida lawmaker wants to require contracting parties to give elderly and disabled adults a video-recorded “comprehensive review” of the contract terms before signing. Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, filed SB 120 on Oct. 7. The “Elderly and Disabled Adult Contract Protection Act” is part of her campaign to protect the rights of Florida’s most vulnerable, Garcia said in a statement. “The bill includes protections to make certain that an elder or person with a disability is not under duress or undue influence during the contracting process.” A veteran lawmaker and South Florida TV host, Garcia chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice. The bill defines a contract as “any agreement that affects an individual’s legal rights or property, including documents conferring power of attorney or a deed instrument.”
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The Florida Bar
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT REJECTS ATTEMPT TO FORCE FLORIDA BAR TO INVESTIGATE PAM BONDI
Florida Politics | Article | October 14, 2025
The Florida Supreme Court refused Monday [Oct. 13] to force the Florida Bar to investigate U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for alleged state ethics violations, denying a request made by dozens of lawyers and former Judges. The court’s rejection sided with The Florida Bar — the overseer of the state’s legal profession — finding that the 70-odd legal experts lacked standing to ask a state-level organization to investigate federal officials, even if they’re certified to practice law in Florida.
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Civil Justice
LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR PUBLIC RECORDS ON EVERGLADES DETENTION CENTER
WFLX Fox 29 | Article | October 14, 2025
A lawsuit has been filed by Friends of the Everglades against the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) over public records related to the detention facility in the Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The group says the absence of those public records violates the Government in the Sunshine Act, “which requires agencies to make official records available to the public.” Friends of the Everglades says an attorney for the organization has been asking for public records since June 24, just days before the facility officially opened. The suit states that FDEM “has failed to (i) timely respond to these requests; (ii) produce all documents responsive to the requests when it did respond; and, most recently, (iii) ignored requests to produce the two defendants’ grant application to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding for the detention center, and the grant award documents.”
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Civil Justice
FLORIDA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST ROKU FOR EXPLOITING KIDS’ DATA WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT
CBS12 News | Article | October 14, 2025
Florida’s Office of Parental Rights has launched a lawsuit against Roku, accusing the streaming giant of unlawfully exploiting sensitive data about minors’ online activities. Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the lawsuit on X, formerly known as Twitter on Tuesday morning [Oct. 14]. He stated that Roku is accused of accessing and exploiting data related to children’s online preferences, behaviors and even their locations. He emphasized that this practice is not only unethical but also goes against Florida’s commitment to uphold parental rights in safeguarding their children’s upbringing. Uthmeier said that this legal action points to violations of the Florida Digital Bill of Rights, which aims to give parents more control over their children’s personal data. According to this law, technology companies are prohibited from using or selling children’s data without first notifying parents and obtaining their consent.
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Civil Justice
INSUREDS NEED EARLY ACV ESTIMATE TO CLAIM BREACH OF CONTRACT, FLA. APPEALS COURT SAYS
Insurance Journal | Article | October 15, 2025
In what is being seen as a significant win for property insurers, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal last week found that Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Co. did not breach the insurance contract when it paid $8,125 on a homeowner’s Hurricane Sally claim. The plaintiff’s attorney in the case, Michael Cassel, said the ruling creates another challenge for policyholders by requiring an actual cash value estimate before filing suit, or they will be barred from prevailing in litigation. “It’s the insurance company’s burden to apply depreciation, but this puts the burden on the policyholder,” said Cassel, who represented Pensacola homeowners Rodolfo Bailetti and Ana Saez in the case. Josh Beck, a Boca Raton insurance defense attorney disagreed and said the appellate court decision, stemming from a claims lawsuit brought before Florida lawmakers snubbed out one-way attorney fees in 2022, reinforces other recent court rulings and state law, and upholds policy requirements on estimates and repair receipts.
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Civil Justice Issues
FLORIDIANS WITH FELONY CONVICTIONS CAN NOW CONTACT THE STATE TO LEARN IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE
Florida Phoenix | Article | October 14, 2025
In 2019, the Legislature passed implementing language requiring felons to have paid any legal financial obligations — including fines, fees or restitution imposed on them by a judge — before they could see their voting rights restored. Now, for the first time since Floridians voted to restore voting rights to most people with felony convictions, the state has agreed to provide timely information about which of them have paid the financial obligations that would entitle them to vote. That change is the result of negotiations last year after the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition dropped its 2023 lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, and other Florida election officials. Individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences but are unsure whether they still owe legal financial obligations can now submit a request form to the Department of State to inquire about their voting eligibility.
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Criminal Justice
FLORIDA CARRIES OUT RECORD 14TH EXECUTION THIS YEAR
The Associated Press | Article | October 14, 2025
A man convicted of the 1996 killings of two women whose bodies were left in a rural pond was executed Tuesday evening [Oct. 14] in a record 14th execution in Florida this year. Samuel Lee Smithers was pronounced dead following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Smithers was convicted in 1999 of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. The lethal injection extended Florida’s record for total executions in a single year, with the state planning to carry out two more executions later this month and next under death warrants signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Texas with five.
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Other
POLK COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE WILL OFFER ONE-WEEK OPPORTUNITY TO CLEAR FEES ON COURT FINES
The Ledger | Article | October 10, 2025
The Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office is offering Operation Green Light from Nov. 3 through Nov. 7 — a one-week opportunity for residents to have the additional outside collection agency fee applied to waived outstanding court fines. Customers must pay the full fine amount. Once paid, they may proceed with the reinstatement of their driver’s license. Payments may be made in person at all three clerk of court offices in Bartow, Lakeland and Lake Alfred or by phone. Customers must pay the fine in the county where it was issued.