“Two weeks ago, we highlighted the fact that Governor DeSantis’s administration was intent on issuing a proposed new rule based on junk science and discredited so-called experts to justify denying Medicaid coverage for hormone therapy and other accepted medical interventions, as well as for gender-confirming surgery, for transgender Floridians. We expressed our concern that AHCA seemingly had predetermined the outcome, which today’s announcement makes all the clearer.”

A new website, FLDLcheck.com, enables Florida drivers whose licenses were improperly suspended to find out if their suspensions have been lifted through advocacy undertaken by Southern Legal Counsel and the ACLU of Florida. The site provides information to help people reinstate their permit to drive in cases where their licenses were unlawfully suspended for failure to pay court fees and fines related to local ordinance violations.

Public Justice, a national nonprofit legal advocacy organization that takes on systemic threats to justice, has selected a team of Southern Legal Counsel and ACLU of Florida lawyers, together with pro bono attorney Andy Pozzuto, as finalists for the 2022 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for their work on McArdle v. Ocala.

Director of SLC’s Transgender Rights Initiative, Simone Chriss, was recently selected by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association as one of the “40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” award recipients for 2022. Awardees will be recognized during the 2022 Lavender Law® Conference in Los Angeles, California.

Southern Legal Counsel (SLC) works to protect the rights of transgender individuals throughout Florida, including the rights of transgender youth to access medically necessary, gender-affirming care. SLC stands with transgender youth and families throughout Florida and seeks to provide clarity for those who are concerned about the impact of the guidance released yesterday.

The Supreme Court’s highest recognition of a private lawyer for pro bono service, the award was presented by Chief Justice Charles T. Canady.

Brady has been a pro bono volunteer with Three Rivers Legal Services since the early 1990s and has always been a strong advocate for the poor, in particular people without housing.

Matching grants are a great way to support Southern Legal Counsel (SLC). These grants, also known as volunteer grants or “Dollars for Doers” grants, generally involve a company donating to a nonprofit where it’s employees volunteer.

SLC Pro Bono Director Samantha Howell was chosen by the Florida Pro Bono Coordinators Association (FPBCA) to receive the 2022 Kay Meyers Pro Bono Coordinator Award. Florida Chief Justice Charles Canady announced the award Jan. 20 at the annual Pro Bono Service Awards at the Florida Supreme Court.

SLC Pro Bono Director Samantha Howell was chosen by the Florida Pro Bono Coordinators Association (FPBCA) to receive the 2022 Kay Meyers Pro Bono Coordinator Award. Florida Chief Justice Charles Canady announced the award Jan. 20 at the annual Pro Bono Service Awards at the Florida Supreme Court.

At its inaugural Pro Bono Recognition event Oct. 28, Southern Legal Counsel will present the Access Justice Impact Award to Akerman LLP. This award is given to a firm that embodies SLC's mission through its service to pro bono clients. Over the last two years, approximately 30 attorneys from Akerman have volunteered with SLC. Examples of their work include:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a case going back to 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held Aug. 31 that the City of Fort Lauderdale's Park Rule 2.2, banning outdoor food sharing as a social service in public parks, violates the First Amendment.

Southern Legal Counsel, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, the ACLU of Florida Palm Beach County Chapter, and Florida Justice Institute filed a federal lawsuit challenging a West Palm Beach ordinance that prohibits asking for donations in certain public spaces. The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach Division, also seeks a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the ordinance.

Abigail Adkins, an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by McDermott Will & Emery and Darden Restaurants Inc., will complete her two-year fellowship at Southern Legal Counsel at the end of August 2021 and join the SLC staff as an attorney focused on education issues.

Southern Legal Counsel was awarded grants from The Florida Bar Foundation and the Dharma Foundation, part of which will be used to conduct outreach and represent low-income students with disabilities who have experienced regression due to problems with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Southern Legal Counsel’s work on behalf of a transgender Marion County high school student paid off this spring when she was able to walk in her graduation ceremony after bullying and a lack of support from school staff pushed her out of school.

Removing barriers to transgender individuals’ ability to access the legal-name and gender-marker change processes has been a consistent mission of SLC’s Transgender Rights Initiative. We have ensured that Florida birth certificates can be amended without proof of sex reassignment surgery, and we also developed a first of its kind website, FloridaNameChange.org, to make the processes easier to navigate without an attorney. Recently, SLC worked with the Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to amend its policy for amending the gender marker on drivers licenses to make the process more accessible to the transgender community.

An important component of SLC’s Transgender Rights Initiative is building the capacity of others in Florida to represent, protect, affirm, and support transgender individuals statewide.

During Pride Month and on into July we are holding two trainings for which registration is now open.

Pride Month 2021: Best Practices for Representing LGBTQ+ Youth will be held June 29 through the Florida Legal Services Statewide Training Initiative and is sponsored by the Public Interest Law Section of The Florida Bar. Register here.

Free Statewide Transgender Legal Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic will be presented by SLC and Akerman on July 10th. Register here.