In the state of Florida, it is relatively common for Florida police to seize property they believe may be used to further a crime or criminal activity. This concept is known as civil asset forfeiture, but a new federal policy could allow police to legally take a Florida resident’s property even if they are not…
Much ado has been made about Governor Scott’s looming decision regarding Florida’s “liquor wall” law. Early in 2017, the Florida legislature approved a bill — SB 106 — that would repeal Florida’s decades-old liquor wall law, which required hard liquor to be sold in separate facilities from groceries and other goods. Opponents of the bill pushed Gov. Scott…
Current Florida law allows people who are wrongfully imprisoned and convicted in Florida to receive compensation, with one important exception. Namely, felons who have committed a felony either before or after the wrongful imprisonment are not eligible for this compensation. However, lawmakers are ready to change this requirement, known as the “clean hands” requirement of…
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Florida’s death penalty appeal in what has been a turbulent legal saga. Florida had already undergone a year of legal certainty regarding its death penalty before Governor Scott signed a death penalty fix in March of 2017. Governor Scott’s latest fix required a jury to be unanimous in order…
Bitcoin, a form of virtual currency, is highly popular among some who value the currency’s anonymity and encryption techniques designed to protect privacy. For clear reasons, these traits are highly valued by some criminals looking to further criminal activity while bypassing traditional banking systems. The increased prevalence of using Bitcoin to further criminal activity or…
All laws, at least in theory, are created with the intention of improving the lives, safety, and welfare of the public. Florida passed its anti-opioid laws with similarly good intentions, hoping to take high-level opioid traffickers off the streets. Years after Florida started its crackdown against opioids in the 1990s, there are reasons to suggest…
The first thing that probably leaps to mind when thinking about safety risks on the road is likely to be drunk drivers. This makes sense, as drunk drivers cause nearly 1 in 3 traffic deaths in the United States. Even so, road rage is another all too common road incident that needlessly jeopardizes the safety…
Florida lawmakers appear to be making a move toward repealing the state’s no-fault auto insurance system. If this repeal does indeed take place, it will have outsized implications on auto accidents in the state. On April 19, 2017, Florida lawmakers passed legislation to get rid of the state’s no-fault insurance, known as Personal Injury Protection…
If you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and owe money to a homeowner’s association or condo association assessments, you may be left wondering how your bankruptcy impacts an association’s ability to collect assessments post-bankruptcy. A 2016 bankruptcy case from the Southern District of Florida ought to shed light on the specifics of just such a situation…
In October of 2016, Florida’s Supreme Court held that the state’s death penalty law was unconstitutional. Since then, prosecutors were left wondering whether this ruling affected cases that were currently being prosecuted. Now, the state’s Supreme Court has clarified this issue. Florida Supreme Court Allows Current Death Penalty Cases to Continue Despite the ongoing issues…
