Jim Saunders - News Service of Florida

In a legal battle rooted in the discovery of a 13-year-old human trafficking victim working as a dancer, a federal appeals court largely upheld restrictions that Miami Beach placed on nude strip clubs.

The Florida Board of Medicine is slated to consider a proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to bar physicians from providing treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty-blocking medication to transgender youths.

Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. estimated in regulatory filings Wednesday that they will spend nearly $3.4 billion more on power-plant fuel this year than had been expected. While it is too early to know exactly how that will affect customers, utilities generally are allowed to recoup their fuel costs.

As part of a flurry of filings in Leon County circuit court, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office disputed arguments by the Sarasota County Public Hospital District and Lee Memorial Health System that Moody had reached settlements that would improperly scuttle the districts’ separate legal claims against the industry.

Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr filed a brief at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the Florida law, which, in part, placed additional restrictions on “drop boxes” for mail-in ballots and prevented groups from providing items such as food and water to voters waiting in line at polling places.

Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis questioned the ratings agency, Demotech, Inc., and warned that such widespread downgrades could affect homeowners across the state.

Florida Power & Light on Wednesday urged the state Supreme Court to reject challenges to a settlement that increased electric rates, arguing the controversial plan is in the “public interest.”

A federal appeals court refused to reconsider a decision that struck down measures passed in Palm Beach County and Boca Raton to ban the controversial practice known as “conversion therapy.”

Disputing that the Legislature acted in “bad faith,” attorneys for the state, elections supervisors and national Republican groups urged a federal appeals court this week to overturn a ruling that said a 2021 elections law was unconstitutionally intended to discriminate against Black Floridians.

A new Florida law preventing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy will remain in effect while a legal battle plays out.

Florida Power & Light backed away from a controversial proposal that would have used a severe winter storm in 1989 as a basis for future power plant projects. It had drawn opposition from the state Office of Public Counsel and other groups, as it could have helped lead to potentially costly projects.

Attorneys for abortion clinics and a physician objected Monday to fast-tracking a legal fight about a new Florida law that prevents abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and disputed that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade affects the case.