Articles

Victory in the Starry Night mural case!

July 18, 2018 | By JEREMY TALCOTT

The Starry Night House saga has finally come to a close. Last night, the Mount Dora City Council voted unanimously to approve a settlement agreement that lets homeowners Nancy Nemhauser and Lubomir Jastrzebski keep the mural on their house and a surrounding wall. The agreement also dropped all of the previously imposed fines and will … ...

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Why does Florida require people to use outdated hearing aid technology?

June 08, 2018 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

Technology has made leaps and bounds since the original hearing aid—aka the ear trumpet—came onto the market.  Nowadays, state-of-the-art hearing aids are sophisticated enough to allow users to fit and tune the devices themselves using iPhones, tablets, or home computers.  In theory, hearing aids should more accessible than ever; one ...

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Florida appellate court to hold oral argument in PLF case this week

October 16, 2017 | By MARK MILLER

On Tuesday, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal will hold oral arguments in a number of cases, including in Pacific Legal Foundation‘s P.I.E., LLC v. DeSoto County. Christina Martin and I will represent P.I.E., and Christina will argue the cause. The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation, just published my op-ed o ...

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Government evades property rights by stalling

July 07, 2017 | By CHRISTINA MARTIN

For an example of how impossible it can be for property owners to ripen (i.e., get a court to hear) a takings claim, look no further than the decision today in GolfRock, LLC v. Lee County.  Even when the government regulates away the use of your land, it can sometimes be very difficult to get courts … ...

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Short-term home rentals and safe neighborhoods can coexist

April 28, 2017 | By MARK MILLER

This week in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Goldwater Institute‘s Executive Vice-President Christina Sandefur and I encourage Florida cities to stop punishing responsible home owners who share their homes with tourists on a short-term basis. Floridians have rented homes out to vacationers and ‘snowbirds’ for decades, but in ...

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Major First Amendment victory in Docs v. Glocks case

February 17, 2017 | By CALEB TROTTER

Yesterday, the 11th Circuit issued its en banc opinions in Wollschlaeger v. Gov. of the State of Florida, AKA the “Docs v. Glocks” case. As previously discussed here, here, and here, the case concerns whether Florida can prohibit doctors from asking their patients about their gun ownership or possession unless the question is directly ...

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Occupational licensing reform percolating in Florida

February 02, 2017 | By CALEB TROTTER

Opponents of burdensome occupational licensing laws in Florida may soon have reason to celebrate. Two bills were recently filed in the Florida legislature that would bring some mild, but welcome relief to Floridians seeking to earn a living. In recent years, the difficulties faced by military spouses to receive license reciprocity when they move to ...

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A good day for students’ school choice in Florida

January 19, 2017 | By CHRISTINA MARTIN

Yesterday, the Florida Supreme Court rejected a union’s lawsuit challenging Florida’s tax credit scholarship program, and a Florida appellate court rejected a school district’s claim that charter schools violate the state constitution. These decisions protect K-12 students across the state. Florida’s tax credit scholarship ...

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Florida appeals court issues decision that is truly for the birds

September 16, 2016 | By MARK MILLER

My handy-dandy Idiom Dictionary says the expression “for the birds” describes something “worthless” and “undesirable.” The dictionary goes on to explain the etymology as “based on the idea that birds eat seed, which is not worth much.” (It may also have a somewhat scatological foundation, but we ...