DeSantis defiant amid ruling
On Aug. 21, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a temporary injunction requiring the detainment center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz to shut down operations, remove all equipment, and have all people vacate the property within 60 days.
But less than a day after the ruling halting operations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state will not be deterred.
The governor said that a ruling like this was expected, and that the judge's ruling was not giving them a fair shake. Governor DeSantis will be appealing the ruling from Judge Williams.
This ruling stems from a case filed by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The case raised concerns about the detention center being built without the mandatory environmental impact analysis.
Governor DeSantis said this ruling will not affect current operations, and that they will continue deportations.
Space Force X-37B lifts off atop Falcon 9 rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the X-37B Space Force space plane back into orbit late Aug. 21, marking the mysterious uncrewed vehicle’s eighth mission.
The mission, known as USSF-36, launched at11:50 p.m. from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Storms had moved through the area in the hours prior, but conditions improved to 90% favorable just before launch.
Upon liftoff, the rocket flew on a northeast trajectory, providing views of the launch north of the Space Coast.
As the rocket’s first-stage booster returned to Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 2, a sonic boom was heard throughout Brevard County and the surrounding areas.
The launch marked the fourth National Security space launch (NSSL) Phase 2 mission of the year.
A Former top DeSantis Lawyer has flagged a legal aid group for defunding
WFIT’s Terri Wright has more:
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ former general counsel, Joe Jacquot, has raised concerns over Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), an immigrant rights group suing Florida, and its use of legal aid funds.
Interest on Trust Accounts is underwritten by interest from lawyers' pooled trust accounts and is used to fund legal aid services for low-income individuals.
AIJ received $4.7 million in 2024 from the state’s IOTA Accounts. Because Florida law bars IOTA grant recipients from suing the state, the group could face an audit and risk losing its funding.
Federal court backs free speech rights in marijuana ballot initiative fight
A federal judge handed "complete relief" to a group gathering signatures for an adult-use marijuana ballot initiative that says it's been hindered by a state law regulating petition gathering.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled Aug. 22 that state prosecutors can't enforce a section of this law against Smart and Safe Florida that barred non-Florida residents and non-U.S. citizens from gathering signatures for a ballot initiative. An earlier court order also barred enforcement by Florida's secretary of state, attorney general and county supervisors of elections.
The crux of the case is that the state's law violates First Amendment protections to political speech and to petition the government.
Earlier in July, Walker upheld most of HB 1205, which toughened regulations for petition gathering while also introducing stricter deadlines, heightened penalties and fines and new regulations that restricted nonresidents and noncitizens from circulating petitions.
But he agreed that regulations on nonresidents and noncitizens imposed a "severe burden on political expression."