Tag Archives: State: Florida

CNA reports: “A coalition of citizens and businesses in Gainesville, Florida has formed in reaction to the Gainesville City Council’s passage of a ‘gender identity’ ordinance that allows men who perceive themselves as women to use women’s bathrooms in any …

WorldNetDaily Reports: As three states – California, Florida and Arizona – prepare to vote on constitutional marriage amendments this fall, pastors and other citizens across denominational lines are organizing to fight for traditional marriage . . . Each of the …

A Florida court ruled Monday that voters have a right to decide whether to end public funding discrimination against religious individuals and groups for non-religious social services and programs.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued this press release that warns: If these amendments are voted into law, they will permit voucher subsidies for religious and other private schools in Florida and eliminate the state constitution’s …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: “A proposed state constitutional amendment offers what sounds like a simple and painless remedy for improving public education in Florida — require every school district to spend at least 65 percent of its money on classroom …

The Olympian reports: Although Santeria has been widely practiced in South Florida for decades, the Afro-Cuban religion, which at times includes animal sacrifices, remains cloaked in mystery and sensation . . . But leaders of the faith are hailing a …

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ordered University of Florida officials Wednesday to stop discriminating against a Christian fraternity while a lawsuit filed by CLS and ADF on appeal.

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In Chabad of Nova, Inc. v. City of Cooper City, (SD FL, July 29, 2008), a Florida federal district court ruled in favor of an Orthodox Jewish Chabad group on most of its challenges to …

“. . . the principal grilled her about being a lesbian, told her that being a lesbian is ‘not right,’ demanded her parents’ phone number so he could call them to out her . . .”

“We conclude that the State’s interest in recognizing and protecting the rights of parents on some educational issues is sufficient to justify the restriction of some students’ freedom of speech.”

The Bradenton Herald reports: “The first Planned Parenthood health center has opened in Manatee County thanks in part to three grants totaling more than $1.3 million.”

Jeff Johnson reports on OneNewsNow.com: Gary McCaleb, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, says the prohibition has a sordid past . . . In November, Florida voters will cast their vote on Ballot Initiative 7, deciding whether to repeal the prohibition on …

The Bay Area Reporter reports: The focus by HRC on California is drawing a mixed reaction from gay advocates in the other two states. In May, HRC also pledged an initial $500,000 from the HRC California Marriage political action committee …

The Sun-Sentinel reports on the continuing controversey over zoning for churches in Cooper City.  A federal judge ruled that the city had not afforded sufficient zoned space for churches.  The litigation is still pending, but the city has amended its …

Tampabays10.com reports: “A man, who got into an argument with his wife and decided to go to a strip club, was found pantless and unconscious in the woods in Holiday, according to investigators.”

“Florida sex offenders on probation can possess pornography so long as it does not relate to an offender’s ‘particular deviant behavior pattern,” the state’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday.”

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4601 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE July 10, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF-allied attorneys set to back Florida fair funding referendum Court grants motion to intervene in support of proposed constitutional …

WTVYNews4.com reports: “Judge Richard Smoak said the school violated Heather’s constitutional right of free speech after a ban on clothing and stickers featuring rainbows.”  According to this report, the judge has ordered the school to pay the ACLU $325,000.00 in …

A three-judge panel of the Third District Court of Appeal, in an opinion reversing a ruling by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Valerie R. Manno Schurr, said being homeless is not sufficient cause to take children from their parents.

Above the Law reports that a complaint against Ave Maria Law School filed with the ABA alleging that it was not in compliance with ABA accreditation standards has been dismissed.

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In First Vagabonds Church of God v. City of Orlando, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49314 (MD FL, June 26, 2008), a Florida federal district court rejected a challenge under Florida’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (FRFRA) …

Mysuncoast.com reports: “The Holmes County School Board must pay $325,000 in legal fees to the ACLU because a Ponce De Leon High School student won a lawsuit against the district earlier this year.”

Lambda Legal has issued this press release that begins: “Today Lambda Legal announced a lawsuit against Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for the negligent and outrageous treatment towards the family of Lisa Pond, a lesbian whose partner of 18 years …

365Gay.com reports: “A lawsuit will be filed in Miami Wednesday against a hospital that refused to allow the partner of a dying lesbian to see because they were not considered family.”

Liberty Counsel has issued this press release. It reports: Today, a couple who worked and lived at Thornwood Terrace Apartments in Lake City, Florida, a government-subsidized facility owned and operated by The Hallmark Companies and Hallmark Management, is filing suit …

A federal court Wednesday ruled in favor of attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and permanently struck down sections of a state statute used to bar a member of Gideons International from distributing Bibles on a public sidewalk.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued this press release that begins: Americans United for Separation of Church and State has joined litigation in Florida designed to remove two ballot amendments that would erase religious freedom safeguards …

The Palm Beach Post reports: Florida’s top teachers union filed a lawsuit Friday to block from the November ballot two constitutional amendments aimed at restoring school voucher programs. The lawsuit, filed by the Florida Education Association and others in Leon …

Local6.com reports: “City code enforcement officials have ordered a controversial underground swingers club to stop hosting sexually themed parties by the end of Thursday or face fines of up to $250 a day.”

OneNewsNow.com reports: . . . One pro-life attorney in Florida hopes the case in which he is now involved will not be a repeat of the Schiavo case in any of those respects. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Joseph Radowicz is …

Twelve federal jurors drew the line Thursday for Tampa Bay area residents, saying the graphic and violent films of a Hollywood pornographer are unacceptable in their community.

The town has only one strip club on University Drive near Interstate 595. The proposal would cut the required distance between sex clubs and residential neighborhoods, churches, schools and playgrounds from 1,000 feet to 450 feet.

LifeNews.com reports: “Florida woman who has been disabled by a stroke and is on a feeding tube could become the next Terri Schiavo. Karen Weber’s husband wants to have her feeding tube removed because he claims she is in a …

How Appealing links to numerous reports covering an obscenity trial in Florida where jurors have been required to watch many hours of pornography.

The Tampa Tribune reports: Police are showing up more around adult businesses in Drew Park after complaints from residents and other business owners. Tampa police on Tuesday arrested three men – one 55, one 61 and one 68 – inside …

WorldNetDaily reports: Zoning ordinances prevented Planned Parenthood from opening an abortion clinic in the Rosemary district of Sarasota, Fla. They did, that is, until Habitat for Humanity’s Sarasota affiliate stepped in to help out. By agreeing to purchase Planned Parenthood’s …

WJHG.com reports: . . . The council was split on the decision to do away with prayer 3-3. The city’s mayor, Mike Anderson, broke the tie by voting against a mandatory moment of silence. As for requiring a mandatory Pledge …

Leonard Link reports: The Florida First District Court of Appeal has refused to develop the common law of Florida to recognize a loss of consortium claim brought by the same-sex partner of a woman injured in an auto accident.  Asserting …

Today, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear a case that tests how far states may go in telling judicial candidates how to deal with public interest group questionnaires they receive during campaigns.

The Wall Street Journal reports: When Florida passed a law in 2001 creating the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship Program for underprivileged students, all but one Democrat in the state legislature voted against it. Earlier this month, lawmakers extended the program …

A Tampa group that promotes healthy families would be the first of its kind allowed to ask Florida drivers to donate money under a little-noticed bill headed to the governor. Critics, some of whom contend that the group is faith-based, say the proposed law sets a bad precedent and raises constitutional questions.

A principal takes the stand Monday, for allegedly violating the civil rights of some students. David Davis, the principal of Ponce de Leon High School.

The Thomas More Law Center announced today that on Tuesday, May 6th, the Board of Miami-Dade County Commissioners will consider an outrageous proposal that would force taxpayers to pay for marriage benefits to the partners of its homosexual employees, under a so-called ‘Domestic Partnership’ ordinance.

Leaders of a coalition advocating a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage announced April 17 a new name for the effort—”Yes on 2″—at 10 news conferences across Florida.

A license plate that would have become the first in the nation to prominently feature a religious symbol is unlikely to be on the road any time soon after state lawmakers did not include it in a bill Tuesday.

The debate over whether to force pregnant women considering abortion to pay for ultrasounds turned to emotional ”what if” scenarios Tuesday as the proposed law hinges on a tie-breaker.

proposed law requiring all Florida women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound — then have a chance to view the image and have it explained to her — failed in a tie vote Wednesday after almost 90 minutes of impassioned debate about privacy, pregnancy and women’s rights that crossed party lines.

So now Florida is facing a situation where students will suffer if people don’t gamble and lose more money . . .

Religion Clause blog reports on competing bills in the Florida legislature that would regulate the teaching of evolution versus the right of teachers and students to express opposing views. This follows in the wake of  the Florida State Board of …

A bill mandating ultrasound scans for all women seeking an abortion faces an uncertain vote Tuesday in the Florida Senate, where moderate Republicans are banding with Democrats to defeat it — thereby sparing Gov. Charlie Crist from tackling an issue on which he has shifted his stance.

The ABA Journal reports that naming rights for a new law school building plan were unsuccessful so Ave Maria law school will re-locate to an older structure in Naples, Florida.

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In McGlade v. State of Florida, (FL Ct. App., April 25, 2008), a Florida state appellate court rejected a claim by two defendants accused of practicing midwifery without a license that the jury should have …

The Religion Clause blog reports: “After some apparently complicated bargaining, the Florida Taxation and Budget Commission on Friday reversed an earlier vote and agreed to place on Florida’s November ballot a proposed state constitutional amendment that is designed to overrule …

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe.”

No court, not even the state’s highest court, can intervene in the affairs of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, attorneys for the JQC said in a sharply worded brief filed Friday with the Florida Supreme Court.

Instead of residing in Ave Maria town, the law school will be going to an interim campus in North Naples. A law school release cited a declining national economy and high construction costs as reasons that led the school’s board of governors to its decision . . .

Kiiitv.com carries an AP report on a specialty license plate being considered that includes a stained-glass window and includes the words “I Believe.” Proceeds would go to a non-profit called “Faith in Teaching” to support faith-based education.

. . . many leaders and activists don’t want the Florida Senate measure to pass because it doesn’t contain language that would ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

. . . a Florida state appellate court held that Broward County did not violate the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act when it took a church’s property through eminent domain . . .

“A 30-year-old man from Fort Myers was stabbed early Tuesday at Stogies, the bar adjacent to Emerald City strip club in Murdock.”

The Evolution Academic Freedom Act, which was approved 7-3 by the Senate Judiciary Committee, now moves to the full Senate.

The Florida Supreme Court has asked a judicial panel to explain why it filed ethics charges, apparently for the first time in the state’s history, against a judge because of what he wrote in an opinion.

“Legislation that would prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment, housing and public accommodations throughout Florida passed a key Senate committee on Tuesday.”

Staff members of Tampa Bay’s largest church were directed two years ago to make $500 contributions to the campaign of Gov. Charlie Crist, a television network has charged.

NBC6.net reports: “Miami-Dade police have charged a man they said abducted a woman outside of a strip club.A police spokesman said Jason Wagner, 25, was seen approaching the woman around 4:15 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Crazy …

Wesh.com reports: Palm Bay Mayor John Mazziotti said he’ll support a proposal to make all adult businesses illegal . . . Michael Kahn, a legal expert on adult businesses, proposed 21 other areas in which the city should permit such …

A woman seeking an abortion in Florida would first have to get an ultrasound and review or turn down seeing the picture of the fetus, under a bill that passed the state House Wednesday, largely along party lines.

Two Florida Lawmakers are trying again to pass legislation that would allow gay people to adopt children. Sen. Nan Rich has proposed a law that would allow a judge to decide whether gay adoption would be in the best interest for a child. Rep. Mary Brandenburg is sponsoring the bill in the House.

The Amendment was cited by the state Supreme Court as a basis to hold school voucher unconstitutional.

The Senate Education Committee, by a vote of 4-1, approved S. 2962, Sen. Ronda Storms “Academic Freedom” bill that would permit public school teachers to “present scientific information relevant to the full range of views on biological and chemical origins.”

Introduced in the Legislature this year is Florida HB 605 (sponsored by Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami), which offers some protection in a state that some experts consider ground zero in human trafficking.

Muslims students at the University of Miami have organized for the Islamic call to prayer, broadcasted each Friday afternoon this month from Richter Library’s clock tower in commemoration of Islamic Awareness Month.

he American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal suit against the Okeechobee County School Board in November 2006 on behalf of the Gay-Straight Alliance and its then-current president Yasmin Gonzalez saying the school was illegally barring the club from meeting on school grounds . .

Officials from the American Civil Liberties Union, at a meeting Saturday at Lakes Regional Library in south Fort Myers, urged Southwest Florida residents to spread the word of opposition to a constitutional amendment that will appear on November’s ballot.

365Gay.com reports: Even though Okeechobee High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance no longer has any members, a federal lawsuit by a former GSA member is continuing. This week a judge rescinded an earlier ruling that required the school board to allow the …