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 12, 2025
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The Florida Bar
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR YLD JOB & RESOURCE FAIR MARCH 6 IN FT. LAUDERDALE
The Florida Bar | Article | November 12, 2025
Registration is now open for The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Job & Resource Fair on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, with lodging available at the nearby Omni Ft. Lauderdale Hotel. Click here to register and for more information. The Bar’s first-ever Job & Resource Fair, a collaborative effort of the YLD and the Bar’s Board of Governors, will give new attorneys the chance to meet top employers, network with colleagues, judges and other leaders, and gain career-building insights. YLD President Arti Hirani says the job fair is designed to help young lawyers find positions and gain knowledge in how to build long-term careers and advance within an organization once they’re hired. In addition to meeting and interviewing with dozens of top employers, attendees will have the chance to connect with judges and elected officials. The event will also feature CLE sessions on topics such as becoming a better partner and attracting higher-quality clients.
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Florida Supreme Court
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT OK’S MANDATORY REVOCATION OF PRETRIAL RELEASE FOR ANKLE MONITOR TAMPERING
Daily Business Review | Article | November 10, 2025
The Florida Supreme Court approved a set of amendments to criminal procedure rules put on the “fast-track” by a Florida Bar committee, including a controversial requirement for judges to automatically revoke pretrial release for defendants who try to remove or otherwise tamper with their ankle monitor. The change was incorporated into the Florida Legislature’s 2025 public safety package, a comprehensive set of laws designed to enhance public safety, ranging from 911 upgrades to counterterrorism efforts. Lawmakers also made edits to pretrial release conditions, stipulating that judges must quash bail if defendants meddle with their ankle monitors—a rule that Brian H. Bieber, criminal defense attorney and shareholder at GrayRobinson, said he foresees a slew of challenges to.
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Civil Justice
11TH CIRCUIT SIDES WITH BROWARD SHERIFF IN PARKLAND SHOOTING INSURANCE DISPUTE
Daily Business Review | Article | November 11, 2025
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit sided with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in an insurance battle over liability in a 2018 shooting at a Parkland high school, limiting the amount the sheriff will have to pay in the dozens of lawsuits brought by victims and their families. The federal appellate court ruled 3-0 that the shooting counted as one “occurrence” under Evanston Insurance Co.’s policy and that the sheriff only needs to pay a $500,000 deductible and one $500,000 self-insured retention (SIR) fee to receive coverage. Evanston had argued that the Broward Sheriff’s Office would need to pay a $500,000 SIR fee for each gunshot that struck a victim. More than 60 lawsuits were filed against the Broward Sheriff’s Office in the wake of the tragedy, alleging that the law enforcement agency failed to adequately respond.
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Civil Justice
CLASS ACTION SUIT ALLEGES MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISTRIBUTOR DISCLOSED PATIENT DATA
Daily Business Review | Article | November 11, 2025
One of the nation’s largest medical marijuana distributors, Curaleaf Inc., is facing a federal class action suit after a patient accused it of sharing protected health data with third-party tech companies and advertisers. The complaint, filed Saturday [Nov. 8] in the Southern District of Florida by a John Doe plaintiff, alleges that Curaleaf embedded tracking and marketing code on its website to transmit private medical and personal data to several tech companies without patient consent. The suit claims that Curaleaf used technology from Google, Sweed, AdPredictive and StackAdapt to scrape and share patient data — including names, contact details, home addresses and browsing behavior — in violation of the federal Wiretap Act, among other laws. The suit states that the plaintiff and proposed class were never presented with a terms-of-service or privacy policy and were not given any chance to opt out of data sharing.
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Legal Profession
‘SMELLS LIKE A NEW CAR’: A NEW ERA FOR MIAMI JUSTICE BEGINS
Daily Business Review | Article | November 11, 2025
Following a decade of planning and anticipation, Miami’s new courthouse officially opened its doors Monday [Nov. 10] — ushering in an era of light, digital innovation, and a legacy that honors Cuban-American lawyer and civil rights pioneer Osvaldo N. Soto. “It was an emotional moment to witness,” said attorney David Deehl, who attended numerous meetings from conception to fruition of the new structure. Deehl, whose father was a Miami judge for 52 years, said while celebrating the future, the history of the old courthouse was honored. Years of blueprints, cranes, and controversy have finally culminated in the completion of the long-awaited Osvaldo N. Soto Justice Center. Under tight security—for the first time—bailiffs, judges, former chief judges, attorneys, and staff passed through its security gates, trading the marble corridors of the 1928 courthouse for a space defined by glass, light, and air-conditioned efficiency.
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Criminal Justice
‘UNIQUE PREDICAMENT’: JUDGE DELAYS RE-SENTENCING FOR DRUG PLANTING EX-DEPUTY ZACH WESTER
Tallahassee Democrat | Article | November 11, 2025
Circuit Judge James Goodman who presided over the trial of Zach Wester, a former Jackson County deputy convicted of planting drugs on innocent drivers continued his re-sentencing hearing until next year — a move designed to give breathing room to the Florida Supreme Court as it weighs his case. Wester was convicted in 2021 of a host of crimes, from official misconduct and fabricating evidence to false imprisonment and racketeering, the most serious charge against him. Judge Goodman sentenced him to 12 and a half years in prison. Last year, the 1st District Court of Appeal vacated the racketeering conviction, opining that prosecutors failed to prove two or more people were involved as required by statutes. But the three-judge panel also certified the state’s RICO Act as a “question of great importance” for the high court, which took the issue up in May.
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Civil Justice
BOCA RATON REDEVELOPMENT PLAN SHOULD BE HALTED UNTIL ANALYSIS IS DONE, LAWSUIT ARGUES
South Florida Sun Sentinel | Article | November 11, 2025
A lawsuit filed in August by Boca Raton resident, Lorraine Blank, against the city of Boca Raton argues that a government-campus redevelopment plan must be halted because the city hasn’t yet completed an important analysis, required by law, that would shed light on whether the proposal is in the public interest. But the city, named as the defendant, says it is complying with state law and the lawsuit should be dismissed for various reasons, including that “the time for the city to perform the analysis has not yet expired.” The lawsuit remains listed as an open case with a hearing scheduled for next month. The Boca Raton City Council entered into a public-private partnership with development firms Terra and Frisbie Groups earlier this year. At the time, the project included developments on about 31 acres at the intersection between West Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway. Terra and Frisbie’s project, called One Boca, has since undergone revisions amid a public outcry.