Author: Elf

Skateboarders and in-line skaters are causing problems for public officials. The Florida Legislature has made a law to encourage the government to provide places for skating, but it’s still a challenge for officials to figure out their liability. The government is worried about being sued if people get hurt while skateboarding, inline skating, or biking.…

Congress passed a law called 47 U.S.C. §531 to give local governments the power to require cable companies to set aside channels for public, educational, or government use. These channels are called PEG channels. The public access channel is part of the PEG and is where citizens can make their own TV shows. The government…

The attorney-client exemption to the Sunshine Law allows government entities to meet in private with their attorneys to discuss legal matters. To do this, they must follow certain procedures. Courts have interpreted this exemption in different ways. The law should be changed to make it more helpful for government entities. In Florida, it’s the law…

Local governments are like the designated “It” in a game of tag, trying to figure out if they can make their own rules for towing companies. Some court cases have given them some authority, but it’s still a bit confusing. We’ll look at what rules local governments can make for towing services. Towing services in…

The Ten Commandments monument was removed from a building in Alabama, causing a big argument. People are split on whether it’s okay to have religious stuff in public places. Roy Moore, the chief judge of the Alabama Supreme Court, put the monument there and now people don’t agree on whether he did the right thing…

A corrections officer in Miami-Dade County was disciplined for having a relationship with a former inmate. She appealed her punishment through the county’s process, but then filed a lawsuit in a different court. The appeals court said she couldn’t do that because she already used the county’s process. They said she had to appeal within…

If a developer wants to build houses, they have to show that there will be enough space in the schools for the kids who will live in those houses. This rule only applies to houses, not to stores or businesses. That’s because stores and businesses don’t directly bring kids to the schools. The law requires…

Florida’s counties are important political divisions that are created by the state legislature. There are 67 counties in Florida, and they can be either charter counties, which have their own local government rules, or noncharter counties. Charter counties must have their charter approved by the voters in a special election. This means that the people…

Government entities in Florida lost the ability to keep private conversations with their lawyers a secret about twenty years ago. Also, about twenty-five years ago, government entities in Florida and government lawyers lost almost all claims of keeping their work a secret under public records law. Some new laws have tried to bring these privileges…

In 2001, ContractPoint Florida Parks, LLC wanted to build cabins in Florida state parks, but ended up in a legal battle with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They nearly lost their ability to make contracts with the government. Florida often works with private companies for services, but without a law to protect them, private…

House Bill 7179 is a new law in Florida that allows local governments to help property owners pay for energy-efficient and hurricane-resistant improvements. This means that if you want to make your home or business more energy-efficient or install things like solar panels or hurricane shutters, the government can give you the money upfront to…