Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs smokable medical marijuana bill into law

TALLAHASSEE — Patients who receive medical marijuana from their doctors will be able to smoke the substance legally, under a bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill (SB 182) is the first of DeSantis’ short tenure and an early legislative victory. DeSantis insisted that lawmakers repeal the state’s ban on smokable medical marijuana by last Friday, or he would drop the state’s appeal of an ongoing lawsuit over the ban. More than 70 percent of voters approved a... Read More

Aetna closing Plantation drug delivery office, laying off 106 workers

Health insurance giant Aetna, newly merged with CVS Health, is closing its mail-order prescription delivery operation in Plantation and eliminating 106 South Florida jobs, the company announced. Employees at the home delivery site at 1600 SW 80th Terrace were notified of the company’s plans on March 13, according to a letter by Juliet Palmer, executive director of Rx Operations, to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity’s Worker Act and Retraining Notification program. Aetna... Read More

Tractor trailer rolls over, blocking Interstate 75 in western Broward County

A tractor trailer carrying sand rolled over Monday afternoon as it drove south along Interstate 75 near U.S. 27 in Broward County. The 18-wheeler was traveling from Immokalee when it overturned. The Florida Highway Patrol will investigate why that happened, according to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue. One person was injured in the accident that happened around 2:16 p.m., just before Exit 23/U.S. 27, authorities said. Paramedics took the patient to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort... Read More

Court says order allowing Everglades oil drilling was ‘issued in error’

A state court said Monday afternoon that an order affirming an oil drilling proposal for the Everglades had been “issued in error.” Earlier that day, the First District Court of Appeal posted an order that appeared to hand a major legal victory to Kanter Real Estate LLC, which had proposed an exploratory well in the Everglades of western Broward County. The court order refused a request by the state of Florida to rehear the case, allowing to stand its order that the state issue a permit... Read More

Democrats call for counterintelligence investigation of massage parlor boss Cindy Yang

Democrats in Congress are asking the FBI to investigate Florida massage parlor operator Li “Cindy” Yang after the Miami Herald and others reported on Yang’s access to President Donald Trump … Click to Continue » ... Read More

Court refuses to block Everglades oil drilling plan

A company planning to drill for oil in the Everglades won a major legal victory Monday, when a state appeals court refused a request by the state of Florida to rehear the case. Kanter Real Estate LLC, which owns about 20,000 acres in the Everglades, plans to drill an exploratory well about six miles west of Miramar. Although the Florida Department of Environmental Protection refused to issue a permit, the company challenged the denial and won a series of court victories. A three-judge panel... Read More

Port Everglades director Steve Cernak dies

Port Everglades director Steve Cernak died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer, port officials said Monday. He was 63. Cernak had been coming into work until about two week ago when he started a new treatment, port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said. County Administrator Bertha Henry was at the port Monday morning relaying the news of Cernak’s death, Kennedy said. Cernak took over as port director in 2012, having previously served as director for the Port of Galveston in Texas. “He... Read More