Attorney General James Uthmeier

Leon County Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh issued an order Wednesday granting the Florida Center for Government Accountability and its publication, the Florida Trident, a limited right to intervene in court proceedings related to a secret grand jury presentment in the ongoing Hope Florida investigation.The ruling marks a significant step in the effort to bring transparency to a process that has so far unfolded almost entirely outside of public view.

A grand jury investigating the diversion of millions of dollars in public funds to the Hope Florida Foundation has produced a presentment that remains confidential while a legal challenge plays out, the Florida Trident has learned through official responses to public records requests.

Attorney General James Uthmeier and two major business groups have urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed recreational-marijuana constitutional amendment, arguing it is misleading and conflicts with federal law. Uthmeier, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida filed briefs Friday as the Supreme Court prepares to make a pivotal decision about whether the proposed constitutional amendment meets legal tests to go on the November ballot.

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday unanimously rejected a proposal by Attorney General James Uthmeier that would have allowed certain state government lawyers to practice in Florida for up to three years without taking the Florida Bar exam.

Attorneys for detainees at a Florida immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" want a federal judge to visit the facility. They argue this will help determine if detainees have sufficient access to legal counsel. On Friday, they asked U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to make the visit within two months. The facility, built this summer, requires attorneys to schedule visits three days in advance. State attorneys object, citing security risks and operational disruptions. As of Monday, the judge hadn't ruled on the request. This case is one of three federal lawsuits challenging practices at the detention center.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is suing Starbucks over hiring and promotion policies he claims are racial quotas.

A statewide rescue operation has reportedly recovered 122 children and is being touted as "one of the largest child-recovery operations in American history." Specific details were not available "due to the victims being children, many details are withheld for confidentiality reasons," a spokesperson for the Florida Attorney General's office said.

Detainees arriving at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades are given color-coded uniforms and segregated based on criminal history and flight risk. That is according to a handbook made public as part of a lawsuit over attorney access at the site known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Civil rights and environmental groups have filed three lawsuits over conditions. In one lawsuit, civil rights groups argued the facility operates outside federal law. They asked a federal judge in Fort Myers this week to stop the facility from holding detainees. A different federal judge ordered it closed in August for environmental reasons, but it remains open pending appeals.

The infusion of cash will help create skilled workers to meet a demand in the United States