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.
Watch CBS News
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.
Religious leaders in Miami are making a plea to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump to halt immigration enforcement during the holidays.
Immigration attorney Patricia Elizee said certain TPS holders may be eligible to seek legal status through immigration court.
His father, fearing months of confinement, says he would rather see his son deported than remain in those conditions.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined his proposed $117 billion state budget Wednesday, as the term-limited executive prepares to leave the state's top office.
A South Florida man being held at "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Florida Everglades says he wants to be deported due to conditions within the facility.
The man told CBS Miami exclusively that he wants to be deported rather than live in detention.
The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis is firing back at Democrats over a lawsuit filed seeing access to "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades.
A Florida federal judge is pushing for a resolution in a lawsuit over detainees' access to attorneys at "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades.
Two other lawsuits challenging operations at the Everglades detention center are proceeding in federal court in Florida.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Emergency Management didn't respond to a request for comment over the public records lawsuit.
Florida officials failed to disclose that they had applied for federal reimbursement for an immigration detention center in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," leading to a false impression before an appellate court panel that put on hold a judge's order to wind down operations at the facility, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The DOJ attorneys wrote that the detainees at the Everglades facility have too many different immigration statuses to be considered a class.
Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration sought federal money to cover the costs of "Alligator Alcatraz."
Florida continues its aggressive approach to help carry out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda.
The detainees' attorneys on Thursday filed an amended complaint in a potential class-action lawsuit.
A federal appeals court has halted a lower court ruling that required Florida and the Trump administration to dismantle parts of "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades.
A federal appeals court has halted a lower court ruling that required Florida and the Trump administration to dismantle parts of "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades.
A federal appeals court on Thursday halted a lower court ruling that required Florida and the Trump administration to dismantle parts of "Alligator Alcatraz," a controversial immigration detention site in the Everglades.
Attorneys fighting for the legal rights of detainees at an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades have their first hearing in court on Thursday since a federal judge ordered operations at "Alligator Alcatraz" to wind down in a separate case.
A new Associated Press report shows Florida has already spent $218 million on the controversial Everglades detention site, and it could cost another $15–20 million to dismantle it following a federal judge’s shutdown order.
Florida could be on the hook for the $218 million cost of converting an airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention center that may soon be empty of detainees.
Immigration officials are moving detainees out of a controversial, state-run detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."
A federal judge ordered Florida to halt expansion and begin dismantling parts of "Alligator Alcatraz," prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration to quickly appeal the ruling.
CBS News Miami's Ted Scouten spoke to a former "Alligator Alcatraz" detainee who agrees with the judge's ruling on "Alligator Alcatraz." Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he is appealing the ruling.
Marcus Sanders, who had recently graduated from the eighth grade, died June 27 after visiting a lake near North Redland Road and Northwest 12th Street with friends.
According to arrest reports, the women would offer sexual acts to an undercover detective after a massage.
Pastors in Florida's capital city are asking elected officials to reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week the federal government could end the program.
Kyle Stowers homered, major league batting leader Otto López had his 40th multi-hit game and the Miami Marlins beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0.
The effort is part of a competitive bidding process featuring three companies vying for a long-term contract to modernize the city's water meter system.
Marcus Sanders, who had recently graduated from the eighth grade, died June 27 after visiting a lake near North Redland Road and Northwest 12th Street with friends.
According to arrest reports, the women would offer sexual acts to an undercover detective after a massage.
Pastors in Florida's capital city are asking elected officials to reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week the federal government could end the program.
Kyle Stowers homered, major league batting leader Otto López had his 40th multi-hit game and the Miami Marlins beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0.
The effort is part of a competitive bidding process featuring three companies vying for a long-term contract to modernize the city's water meter system.
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.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is suspending his campaign against GOP Sen. Susan Collins, after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her five years ago.
Prosecutors revealed that the roommate of the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk was given "use immunity" in exchange for providing recorded video statements to investigators about the case.
The U.S. military launched another round of strikes against Iran late Wednesday night, U.S. Central Command said, in the second night of attacks as diplomacy between the two countries appears to collapse.
Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been arrested on drug possession charges in Alabama after police say they pulled him over for erratic driving and found marijuana and meth in his vehicle.
Amid simmering tensions between the U.S. and some NATO allies over Iran and Greenland, President Trump is tightening bonds with Turkey.
The likely Republican candidate for governor, Congressman Byron Donalds, said he would vote for it, but as he told CBS Miami's Jim DeFede, if it does fail, they will tackle the issue again next year.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has avoided talking about both topics with opponents calling him "the most corrupt attorney general Florida has had."
On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the closing of Alligator Alcatraz, the highly controversial immigration detention center that was the subject of numerous lawsuits as well as allegations of abuse.
The 29-year-old attorney is hoping to stand out from the pack by going after young voters.
More than two decades after voters were promised a new facility to treat people with mental illnesses, rather than warehousing them in the county jail, the Miami-Dade County Commission gave final approval on Tuesday to open the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery.
A recall has been issued for frozen blueberries sold at Publix stores in Georgia, Florida and other Southern states after 12 people became sick, the FDA says.
A new Florida law requires drug prescribers to complete sickle cell training, aiming to improve care and address stigma faced by patients.
Former NFL running back Chris Johnson announced that he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in a "Good Morning America" interview.
Gallup found that only 49% of Americans were "cost-secure" last year, with concerns about medical bills and prescription costs rising across income groups.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
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 nominations for the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, with the final season of HBO Max's "Hacks" setting a new record for the most nominations in a single year for a comedy series.
The Empire State Building lit up in blue for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding Friday night.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated to 20 local and national charities ahead of their wedding Friday.
Ticket reseller StubHub abruptly canceled customers' tickets to World Cup matches, costing them thousands of dollars, a lawsuit alleges.