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.
November 10, 2025
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The Florida Bar
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES MCFARLAND BILL TO UPDATE SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY LIMITS
The Florida Bar | Article | November 10, 2025
A House panel agreed last week to revive a perennial effort to reform Florida’s “sovereign immunity” system that caps damage awards in suits against the government. The House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee voted 16-1 to approve HB 145 by Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota. Sovereign immunity, the English concept that the king can do no wrong, has been adapted in U.S. law to balance America’s “somewhat allergic” aversion to monarchs and taxes, McFarland said. “Today, our sovereigns are not kings, but our government entities,” she said. “While they’re not completely immune from accountability, our laws make it incredibly difficult for an ordinary citizen to be compensated.” Any recovery beyond the caps requires plaintiffs to seek the Legislature’s approval through a claims bill, a process that can take years, McFarland said.
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Legal Discipline
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINES LAWYERS FROM DELRAY BEACH, BOCA RATON, OTHERS ACROSS THE STATE
The Palm Beach Post | Article | November 07, 2025
The Florida Supreme Court recently disciplined eight attorneys — revoking the licenses of three and suspending five. Court orders are not final until the time expires for a disciplined attorney to file a rehearing motion. The attorneys represent law practices from across the state. Three attorneys received disciplinary revocation which is tantamount to disbarment. They include Richard Gonzalez of Delray Beach, Michelle Lee Farkas of Gainesville and Rugh J. Cline of Tampa. Suspended attorneys include Manisha Maraj of Boca Raton, suspended for six months, Jason Alan Wiles of Tallahassee, suspended for one year, E. Cheryl Culberson of Islamorada, suspended for 90 days, Christopher Rodriguez of Panama City who received a felony suspension and Michael Alexander Hurckes of Miami who received an emergency suspension until further order of the court.
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Judiciary
DESANTIS TAPS LAWYER AND WIFE OF EDUCATION COMMISSIONER AS FLORIDA JUDGE
USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | Article | November 07, 2025
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 7 appointed Rachel Kamoutsas, chief of staff at the State University System and wife of state Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas, to the 6th District Court of Appeal. The appointment was one of two made to the appellate court, which was created by the legislature in 2023 and is based in Lakeland, FL. Kamoutsas, admitted to practice law in Florida in 2013, graduated from Regent University School of Law, a private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Before her job at the State University System, she was a deputy general counsel for the Florida Office of the Attorney General. Her position was created when state lawmakers earlier this year approved two additional judgeships on the 6th District Court of Appeal.
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Judiciary
HECTOR BUSTOS APPOINTED TO CLAY COUNTY BENCH
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | November 10, 2025
On Oct. 30, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Hector Bustos of Fleming Island to fill a judicial vacancy on the Clay County Court. Since 2013, Bustos served as an assistant state attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit. He was a division chief and lead attorney for traffic homicides in Clay County. Bustos received a bachelor’s from Florida State University and J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2012, and fills the judicial vacancy created by the enactment of Senate Bill 2508.
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Criminal Justice Issues
MILITARY VETS ARE THIRD OF INMATES EXECUTED IN FLORIDA THIS YEAR, REPORT FINDS
USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | Article | November 10, 2025
A new report released on Nov. 10 finds that five of the 15 people executed in Florida this year were military veterans. Two more inmates who served also are scheduled to be executed over the next two weeks. Bryan Jennings, a former Marine, is set to be executed Nov. 13, followed by Richard Randolph, an Army veteran, on Nov. 20. Florida has overseen two-thirds of the executions and scheduled executions of veterans in 2025, according to the report by the Death Penalty Information Center. “Our research shows that the military service of capital defendants is often minimized or forgotten, even when the experience has been life altering,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the center, whose report – “Forgotten Service, Lasting Wounds” – was released a day before Veterans Day. The report includes findings that a “battlefield-to-prison” pipeline exists for a substantial minority of those executed in the United States.
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Civil Justice
PALM BAY FACES LAWSUIT AFTER LIMITING PUBLIC COMMENTS TO ONLY THOSE WITH DIRECT TIES TO CITY
Florida Today | Article | November 07, 2025
An Osceola County resident, Joshua Meyers, filed a lawsuit on Oct. 27 against the city of Palm Bay, challenging the city council’s action allowing only city residents, business owners within city limits and city utilities customers to speak at public meetings. According to the lawsuit, the city has violated both Meyers’ and other Florida residents’ constitutional and statutory right to speak at public meetings. The lawsuit also points to the Florida legislature’s limitations on how and when governing bodies such as city councils can restrict speakers at public meetings. Those rules are limited to establishing procedures and reasonable time limits for individual speakers to maintain decorum. At the October meeting, Mayor Rob Medina said that Palm Bay’s interests are inextricably bound to the interests of surrounding communities in and around Brevard County, and that limiting public speakers to only Palm Bay residents could negatively impact the city by barring the voices of those who want the same outcomes.
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Civil Justice
‘DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH’: HOW A $4 MILLION VERDICT WAS SECURED IN CIVIL SEXUAL ASSAULT SUIT AGAINST FORMER BROWARD SHERIFF’S DEPUTY, UNION
Daily Business Review | Article | November 07, 2025
A jury ordered the Broward Deputy Sheriff’s Association to pay $4 million to a former employee after her attorneys successfully argued that the local union and its parent were negligent when she was allegedly drugged and raped by her supervisor, former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Voudy III. The Jane Doe plaintiff alleged Voudy drugged her and waited until she was unconscious to assault her during a union-sponsored trip to Las Vegas in 2021. The plaintiff was unaware the assault had taken place until Voudy began showing a photograph of her naked, unconscious body to union coworkers. According to the attorneys who tried her case, Tonja Haddad Coleman, founder of Tonja Haddad Coleman PA, and Adriana Alcalde, partner at Eisenberg & Baum, the case was a challenging one because they had to prove the assault took place even though Voudy was not charged with any crime, and they didn’t have access to a key piece of evidence in the case, the nude photo of the plaintiff.