Florida
DeSantis touts Florida lawsuit seeking to block Biden's Title IX changes
Florida filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Biden’s recent changes to Title IX on Tuesday, with Gov. Ron DeSantis accusing the president of “abusing his constitutional authority.”
DeSantis announced the lawsuit on social media, saying Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina were also on board with the suit. The Biden administration’s changes to Title IX prevent schools from banning biological males from competing in women’s sports, among other things.
“Florida is suing the Biden Administration over its unlawful Title IX changes. Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth,” DeSantis wrote. “We will not comply, and we will fight back against Biden’s harmful agenda.”
The Independent Women’s Law Center, Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education and Speech First, Inc. are also listed as plaintiffs in the complaint along with the states.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LOCKS DOWN CAMPUS BUILDINGS FOLLOWING OVERNIGHT MUTINY: ‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and President Biden. (Getty Images)
The Biden administration’s revision of Title IX redefines “sex” as “gender identity” and “sexual orientation,” while also requiring schools to ensure students use “preferred pronouns” for their classmates. If not, the school is at risk of losing federal funding.
OPINION: BIDEN’S TITLE IX RULE ADDS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN THROUGH THE BACKDOOR
Under the rule, a school must also not separate or treat people differently based on sex, which will allow locker rooms and bathrooms to be based on gender identity.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced the lawsuit on Monday, arguing the change is dangerous for women and would destroy women’s sports.
Florida filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Biden’s recent changes to Title IX on Tuesday, with Gov. Ron DeSantis accusing the president of “abusing his constitutional authority.” (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“The Biden administration is destroying women’s sports by gutting commonsense provisions that protect female athletes and demanding that biological males be allowed to compete against females,” Carr said in a public statement. “Today we have taken action to defend women’s rights to fair competition, and we will keep fighting until we end this absurdity once and for all.”
BIDEN DISMANTLES TRUMP-ERA TITLE IX RULES, SIDESTEPS ISSUE OF TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS
The lawsuit argues that Biden has overstepped his authority by attempting to flaunt Congress.
“While different administrations can have different policy views, they cannot override the text that Congress enacted in 1972 or overrule the binding precedent of this circuit. The Biden rule does both—to the detriment of the States, their schools, and their students. For a host of reasons, this new rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and should be set aside,” the lawsuit reads.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced the lawsuit on Monday, arguing the change is dangerous for women and would destroy women’s sports. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Carr has previously pushed back against Biden’s Title IX revision, which was first introduced in July 2022. He called upon the NCAA to protect women’s sports by repealing the rule allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports. Carr has also taken similar legal action in support of Arizona and West Virginia’s “Save Women’s Sports Act.”
READ THE FLORIDA LAWSUIT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Army Corps and St. Lucie County spent $15 million on placing new sand on Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach.
The Army Corps of Engineers and St. Lucie County are working on a new solution to fix Florida’s most-eroded beach.
Here are 5 things to know about the T-groin project:
- They plan to place a half-dozen T-groins at the Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach by 2030.
- T-groins are designed to reduce wave energy and trap sand, but the county did not cite any data or studies that prove they will work.
- The groins, which are typically like rock jetties, will run perpendicular from the dune line with the T part in the ocean.
- The Army Corps said the two biological opinions it received “resolved” the state’s environmental concerns about sea turtle nesting and other impacts, so the project is moving forward.
- The Army Corps and county plan to split the $900,000 cost.
Fixing Florida’s most-eroded beach in Fort Pierce
Fort Pierce Jetty Park costs taxpayers about $15 million every two years for beach restoration projects to replace lost sand, the Army Corps said during an April 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony for its latest effort. St. Lucie County officials hope the T-groins will reduce the need to add new sand to every four years instead of every two year.
Sand has been placed at the Jetty Park beach 14 times since 1971, said Joshua Revord, St. Lucie County Department of Port, Inlet & Beaches director.
The current project, expected to be complete by mid-May, is placing 400,000 cubic yards of sand on a one-mile stretch from the jetty south, according to Col. Brandon Bowman.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
Tallahassee State College’s District Board of Trustees is keeping three of its current members after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent reappointments.
TSC board chair and longtime member Eugene Lamb as well as trustees Karen Moore and Sara Bayliss will remain on the college’s board after being reappointed by the governor May 1.
At the same time, Moore was reappointed to the board by DeSantis less than five months ago in December 2025 during the same time of Bayliss’ initial appointment. Trustees are usually appointed to four-year terms at a time before being considered for reappointment. The timing of the reappointments is unclear, a TSC spokesperson said.
Moore’s reappointment comes after she has served as a trustee at TSC since 2007 when she was first appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist followed by reappointments by former Gov. Rick Scott and DeSantis.
The CEO and founder of The Moore Agency currently serves as chair of the Florida College System Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is also founder and chair at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy (TCA), which is the college’s STEM-based charter school on its campus.
Bayliss is a college admissions advisor at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee and a counselor at Game Plan College Admissions Counseling. The Florida State University alumna earned her bachelor’s degree in management information systems and French from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree in business administration from FSU.
Regarding Lamb’s reappointment, it comes as he is currently serving in his fifth non-consecutive term as chair of the board. Lamb, a Midway native and army veteran who had a 33-year career of working with youth as a teacher and coach, first joined the college’s board in 2007 after being appointed by Crist. Since then, he has been reappointed to five consecutive terms by Scott and DeSantis.
In addition, Lamb – who’s well known and celebrated by the TSC community for laying bricks for the first buildings on the college campus as a young man – was named Trustee of the Year in 2024 by the American Association of Community Colleges, which honored his leadership and service.
All reappointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
While a popular Mercato nightclub closed earlier this week, the venue continues to fight lawsuits filed against it in recent years.
Cavo Lounge announced on social media April 26 that it had closed for good, which was two days after health inspectors closed it for violations including live roaches.
Here’s what we found.
Taxes owed, slip-and-fall, assault suits
A search of Collier County court records show Cavo Lounge was being sued and a few suits remain open:
- Collier County Tax Collector sued Cavo and hundreds of others in June 2025 for back taxes owed. The suit said Cavo (named in suits as SLR Naples Corp.) owed $6,084.60.
- Ann Ficcaro of Pasco County sued in October 2025 for more than $50,000, alleging she “slipped and fell due to a pooled liquid substance from ceiling condensation and sustained significant injuries.” No specific injuries were listed but the suit alleges that Ficcaro “suffered bodily injury in and about her body and extremities, resulting in pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, permanent and significant scarring, mental anguish” and more. Cavo responded in court records that Ficcaro “conducted herself in a careless and negligent manner, including” that she failed to watch where she was walking. Such negligence, Cavo replied, “was a contributing and/or the sole legal cause of the injuries and damages.”
- Yuksel John Bal of Lee County sued in February 2025 seeking over $50,000, claiming to have slipped and fell at Cavo on July 2023 while exiting a restroom. Bal cited an injured right ankle from slipping in a puddle of liquid. In Cavo’s questions to the plaintiff, Bal acknowledged previously suing someone for damages and settling another claim. And Cavo replied in a court filing that Bal failed to “pay attention, failing to exercise reasonable care while walking, and otherwise failing to ambulate as a reasonably prudent person. Plaintiff’s right to recover is therefore defeated or diminished as a result of her own conduct.”
- Matthew Zeitler of New York and Carole Zeitler of Collier County filed suit in March 2023, each seeking more than $30,000. They said they were at Cavo with family members in October 2022 when an intoxicated customer began to insult and berate them. The customer showed a firearm then hit each plaintiff, causing injuries. The suits were settled in December 2024.
Neither Cavo Lounge attorneys nor the nightclub’s co-owners were unavailable for comment.
The nightclub announced the closure on Instagram.
“This morning, we woke up with the heaviest of hearts to share that last night was our final night. After eleven incredible years, CAVO has officially closed its doors for the last time,” the Instagram post read.
The post did not disclose why the restaurant and nightclub was closing.
What the April 24 inspection said
County health inspectors said they closed Cavo Lounge, 9108 Strada Place, Unit 14140, on April 24 after reviewing it.
The routine inspection turned up three violations, two of which were “high-priority,” the inspection report said. They were:
- High Priority ― Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly.
- High Priority ― Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. On top of dishwasher, observed 10 live roaches.
Cavo was cited during past health inspections, including in 2023 when violations included “15 small flying insects in large bar area around soda guns” and interior of ice machines “with a black/green mold-like substance.”
Cavo Lounged opened in 2014
Open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, Cavo Lounge became a popular spot for Naples-area nightlife.
And in 2018, Cavo began hosting drag lunches that at the time were trending nationally at LGBT-friendly restaurants and bars.
A fatal shooting occurred outside Cavo in October 2022. In January 2025, a judge sentenced Alexander Michael Evans of Fort Myers to 35 years in the shooting.
Evans, 35, had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a person 65 old or older.
Prior to the shooting, authorities said, Evans and the victim were in a physical altercation and were escorted to the parking lot, where Evans pulled a gun from his waistband and shot the victim.
He then fled on foot and the victim died at the scene, said the State Attorney’s Office. Collier deputies arrested Evans in October 2022 after they identified him because he left his credit card on a table inside Cavo Lounge.
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@usatodayco.com and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.
-
Tennessee4 minutes ago2027 Georgia defensive back commits to Tennessee football
-
Texas10 minutes agoNASCAR Texas qualifying live results, Cup Series sets starting lineup
-
Utah16 minutes agoPOST-GAME: Mikhail Sergachev 5.1.26 | Utah Mammoth
-
Vermont22 minutes agoVermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Saturday, May 2
-
Virginia28 minutes agoVirginia comedian Winston Hodges is a finalist on Kevin Hart’s Netflix series ‘Funny AF’
-
Wisconsin40 minutes agoWalleye and musky fishing season now open on Wisconsin lakes
-
West Virginia46 minutes agoWest Virginia Supreme Court Considers Whether Smell Of Marijuana Can Be Basis For Police To Search Homes – Marijuana Moment
-
Wyoming52 minutes agoWyoming Downs, 307 Horse Racing invest $180M in new facilities in Laramie, Uinta counties