Florida's biggest legal battles to watch in 2026
From immigration detention and gun laws to book bans, marijuana and social media, a wide range of legal battles in Florida remain unsettled as the state heads into 2026.
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From immigration detention and gun laws to book bans, marijuana and social media, a wide range of legal battles in Florida remain unsettled as the state heads into 2026.
TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance must sever ties with TikTok or lose access to U.S. app stores and web-hosting services
A federal judge Tuesday refused to dismiss most of a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a former Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist who was fired because of a social-media post after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
A federal appeals court on Thursday agreed to speed up consideration of a closely watched case about a 2024 Florida law designed to prevent children from having access to certain social-media sites.
With the world's first social media ban for children and teenagers under 16 now in effect in Australia, its initial political architect reveals it was personally inspired by his wife, for their four children.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in June issued a preliminary injunction to block the law (HB 3), agreeing with the industry groups that it likely violated the First Amendment.
A federal appeals court ruled that Florida can begin enforcing a 2024 law preventing children from accessing some social media platforms, which could include Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube, while a legal battle continues to play out.
Meta has prevailed over an existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp.
Miami Beach Police announced that the 22-year-old was taken into custody on multiple charges, including possessing amphetamine and marijuana, along with resisting an officer without violence.
The new restrictions for teen users are gradually rolling out starting Tuesday and will be fully implemented by the end of the year, Meta said.
Libs of TikTok, a conservative social media account, shared a screenshot of Brown's repost on Sept. 14 and called for her firing, according to the lawsuit. She was fired the next day.
The law (HB 3) seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening accounts on certain platforms such as Snapchat.
YouTube will offer creators a way to rejoin the streaming platform if they were banned for violating COVID-19 and election misinformation policies that are no longer in effect.
TikTok's algorithm is the "secret sauce" behind the app's success, experts say. U.S.-China talks over the app's ownership must resolve who controls the technology.
The law, which was one of the biggest issues of the 2024 legislative session, does not name platforms that would be affected. But it includes criteria such as whether platforms' features include infinite scroll and autoplay.
The University of Miami posted online over the weekend that it has fired an employee for public commentary made about Charlie Kirk's death.
Several South Florida organizations are taking disciplinary action against employees who posted on social media about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, raising questions about free speech and workplace consequences.
Protests in Nepal over a since-lifted ban on major social media platforms have left almost 20 people dead and now toppled the country's leader.
Florida is seeking to overturn a district judge's ruling that blocks a law aimed at keeping kids off certain social media platforms.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline found that Florida had the third most reported cases of any state last year.
Edited video of TikTok company meetings shows employees flagging features they viewed as potentially harmful.
Driven by social media and celebrities, Cambridge Dictionary has added thousands of new words over the last 12 months.
In the lawsuit filed in February 2024, "Mandalorian" actress Gina Carano argued that she was wrongfully terminated and discriminated against following controversial posts made on social media.
A new study published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities found that using smartphones before age 13 could damage kids' mental health. Researchers say it's associated with suicidal thoughts, worse emotional regulation, lower self-worth and detachment from reality, especially among girls.
Content promoting extreme weight loss and cosmetic surgery is available to young TikTok users, breaching the social media platform's policies.
The city recommended in an email that affected residents boil tap water before using it, a spokesperson told CBS News Miami. The order is expected to remain in place until Monday.
Castro's indictment announcement coincides with a U.S. Department of Justice event at Miami's Freedom Tower honoring the victims.
Higher fuel and food costs are causing consumers to scale back on spending at restaurants, a trend that is also pinching local businesses and commercial fishermen.
The law builds on changes made in the public-school system after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The action reportedly stems from the shootdown of two airplanes belonging to the group Brothers to the Rescue 30 years ago over international waters.
The city recommended in an email that affected residents boil tap water before using it, a spokesperson told CBS News Miami. The order is expected to remain in place until Monday.
Castro's indictment announcement coincides with a U.S. Department of Justice event at Miami's Freedom Tower honoring the victims.
Higher fuel and food costs are causing consumers to scale back on spending at restaurants, a trend that is also pinching local businesses and commercial fishermen.
The law builds on changes made in the public-school system after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The action reportedly stems from the shootdown of two airplanes belonging to the group Brothers to the Rescue 30 years ago over international waters.
In courtroom testimony, Shandelle Maycock recounted the harrowing night her daughter was abandoned in the Everglades, describing the horrors they endured.
A former prison guard trainee has been sentenced to death for the 2019 execution-style killings of five women inside a Florida bank.
Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.
A Florida man has filed a federal lawsuit against Jacksonville sheriff's officers who severely beat him last year after he ran from a traffic stop.
The Marion County Sheriff's deputy told authorities that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun.
President Trump's trip to China could bolster economic relations, but failed to deliver a breakthrough deal, some trade and energy experts said.
In an interview with "Face the Nation," Gates said another mass exodus from Cuba is the "biggest risk."
In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.
The safety specialist's warning appeared in a memo describing how a mini-drone had detonated and injured an Army Special Forces soldier.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin say their concern is there may be more emergency exit doors than flight attendants in the event of an evacuation.
CBS News Miami has confirmed from multiple sources that the Miami Dade State Attorney's office is investigating A3.
State Senator Rosalind Osgood is urging Wasserman Schultz not to run in Florida's 22nd Congressional district.
In an interview on Facing South Florida, Wasserman Schultz said the Governor's efforts to redraw the maps will almost certainly violate the Fair Districts constitutional amendment voters in Florida passed in 2010.
Several commissioners have raised questions about how the center would be funded in future years.
The center – which was promised to voters back in 2004 – would take mentally ill individuals out of the jail and move them into a place where they can receive comprehensive treatment and support.
A New York native is among 16 American passengers who are quarantining in Nebraska after being on the cruise ship that is at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak.
The head of the World Health Organization says "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness.
An American on the repatriation flight began showing symptoms of hantavirus and another "tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus," the Department of Health and Human Services says.
More than 100 people from a cruise ship dealing with an outbreak of the rare and deadly hantavirus are set to be disembarked.
In 2002, Zermeño found out he contracted hantavirus after cleaning the family house following the death of his mother and sister. He had been exposed to rodent droppings and became infected.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" edges out "Mortal Kombat II" at the North American box office this weekend.
A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.
The performance followed similar shows by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga last year on one of the world's most iconic waterfronts.
Attending this year's Kentucky Derby meant more for thoroughbred expert Mark Toothaker, who suffered a seizure from laughing at a whiffed NFL field goal attempt that led to a lifesaving diagnosis.