TAMPA -- A judge is ordering the state's lawsuit against federal cruise guidelines to go to mediation.
Tampa-based federal judge Steven Merryday ordered the state and federal governments to sit down with a mediator no later than June 1st. Both state attorney general Ashley Moody and the Centers for Disease Control, which issued the guidelines, have the right to object.
The state of Florida has been joined by Texas and Alaska in arguing that the CDC has overstepped its authority.
A national group of travel advisors has filed a friend of the court brief in the case. No cruises have sailed from Florida since the pandemic, leading Moody and Governor Ron DeSantis to demand a change, pointing out the effect on jobs and the local economy.
Photo: Canva