Law Office of Edwards, Jones & Doll

01/26/2021

Prosecutors could petition for resentencing if a felon’s original punishment “no longer advances the interest of justice” under a bill by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. SB 662, filed January 14, is nearly identical to a Washington state law that was enacted la...

05/11/2020

Schools and colleges face a major overhaul in how they handle sexual misconduct allegations after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rebuffed calls to delay the sweeping changes to the regulation until the conclusion of the national coronavirus emergency. Read our blog to learn more!

Schools and colleges face a major overhaul in how they handle sexual misconduct allegations after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rebuffed calls to delay the sweeping changes to the regulation until the conclusion of the national coronavirus emergency. Title IX, which bars discrimination on the basi...

05/04/2020

Alachua County commissioners released Emergency Order 2020-21 on May 2nd, which features several new amendments clarifying topics such as the use of masks and the requirements for reopening businesses. More in our blog today!

The Alachua County Commission has voted in favor of its residents being required to wear masks in public places and its newest order is slated to go into effect on Monday at midnight, the same time as the governor's newest orders for Phase 1 of re-opening the state.

04/06/2020

Florida’s Chief Justice Charles Canady issued a new emergency order April 6 suspending jury trials in Florida and extending other state legal deadlines through the end of May because of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This action lengthens a prior order that had set the ending date for emergency pandemic court procedures at mid-April.

The April 6 order combines provisions of several previous administrative orders into a single document. It emphasizes the need for courts to continue applying social distancing and to use remote technology to help keep people safe while also honoring legal requirements.

Among other things, the April 6 order:

• Suspends all jury selection proceedings and grand juries.
• Lists other essential and critical proceedings that state courts must continue to perform with appropriate health safeguards, while limiting hearings in other cases.
• Suspends speedy trial rules for criminal matters and noncriminal traffic infractions.
• Suspends a rule requiring clerks of court to immediately issue paperwork to sheriffs when a final judgment is made in eviction cases.
• Extends emergency changes to notarization and oath requirements.
• Extends health-related limits on court-ordered family visitation involving children in the custody of the Florida Department of Children & Families, including allowing visitation by remote electronic means in some instances.

The Chief Justice will review this and other COVID-19 orders as the pandemic emergency develops and will extend them for longer periods if needed.

This and other emergency orders and advisories are being linked on the Florida Supreme Court’s website: https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Emergency

04/03/2020

UPDATE: Governor DeSantis issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order that went into effect April 3, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. The order is in effect until April 30, 2020. More information can be found in the link below.

Take a look at our most recent blog discussing the recent Stay-at-Home order issued for the state of Florida.

03/24/2020

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03/24/2020

Have questions about COVID-19, state of emergency, or the stay at home order for Alachua County? See the link below for information, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call! 352-377-7800.

The outbreak and rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has significantly impacted the global economy and the operation of local businesses. The outbreak is forcing Florida business owners to confront many hard questions about how they can and should conduct business during this global p...

03/19/2020

With the coronavirus pandemic we are currently rescheduling all nonessential office visits. If you have an urgent matter please do not hesitate to call our offices at 352-377-7800. Everyone stay safe!