Medical pot still faces resistance from Florida's criminal justice system

Breakdown of the ongoing legal battle over Florida's abortion law; Clearwater Intermediate gets a new name; software company responsible for emergency alert test issue keeps contract

View on the web Go to our homepage Subscribe to the Times Monday, May 1, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters Read today's e-Newspaper Welcome to a new month! The forecast on this first Monday of May (high of 84, low of 67) will bring sunny skies. Catch up with stories on what to know about the case that will determine the future of Florida's abortion law; Largo lawyer's death isn't the first time Tampa Bay prosecutors have tried murder cases without a body; and a look at the end of the Lightning's season and questions going into the offseason.  [CHRIS URSO | Times] Tampa Bay judge denies a defendant’s use of medical marijuana and suggests Xanax instead Judge Dorothy Vaccaro told a woman in her Pinellas County courtroom she’d be arrested if she continued using her medical marijuana card while on probation.    Instead, Vaccaro recommended the defendant consider Xanax, a drug that some consider more powerful.   More than 800,000 Floridians have been allowed by doctors to use medical marijuana. But this exchange in Vaccaro’s courtroom underscores that the drug is still met with resistance from the highest perches of the criminal justice system.   Read the story. AROUND THE BAY Murder case without a body? A grand jury indicted a plastic surgeon in the death of a missing Largo lawyer. The attorney’s body has not been found, but this isn’t the first time local prosecutors have tried such a case.   Contract extension: Florida will keep its contract with the software company blamed for that early morning emergency test alert — at least for a bit longer.   Cutting ties: Six Tampa Bay area churches are leaving the United Methodist denomination over issues about LGBTQ+ inclusion.   Nonprofit expands with 2nd clinic: The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay plans to bring its free services to southern Hillsborough County.   Seminole Heights return: Florida Avenue Brewing Co. is going back to its roots and reopening in the Tampa neighborhood. Here’s what to know.   Year of price stability? Through the end of 2023, the Tampa owner of Outback Steakhouse aims to avoid the menu hikes brought on by inflation last year.    Sale shatters record: This Clearwater Beach condo sold for $9.5 million.   Ed Sheeran to play Clearwater: The singer-songwriter has added an intimate concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall ahead of his Tampa show.   2-year-old girl drowns: According to Tampa Police, officers responded to Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett's home Sunday morning in reference to a child who had fallen into a pool. But efforts to revive Barrett's daughter were unsuccessful. Domestic battery charge: USF senior tailback Michel Dukes has been indefinitely suspended from the football team following his arrest Saturday. BRIGHT SPOT [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times] Clearwater Intermediate gets a new name, honoring Pinellas County’s all-Black high school Integration forced Pinellas High to shutter in 1968. Now, 55 years after the closure, alumni have succeeded in their bid to revive the school’s legacy, with a focus on the future, in the place where it once thrived.   Into the archives: See photos recalling Pinellas High’s brief but rich history. POLITICS New law in limbo: Florida’s six-week abortion ban hinges on a state Supreme Court ruling in a challenge to the current 15-week law. We break down the ongoing legal battle.   Welcome to the courtroom phase: Disney has ferociously defended its trademarks and copyrights in court. Will it bring the same litigative fire to its lawsuit against Florida?   Jury begins deliberations: Andrew Gillum’s federal corruption trial is in jurors’ hands now that lawyers and prosecutors have made their closing arguments. Prosecutors said the case is based on “circumstantial evidence.”   Wrongful conviction: Robert DuBoise spent more than three decades in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. On Friday, the Florida Legislature approved $1.85 million to compensate him.   Another setback for revamp: A safety overhaul of Clearwater’s Drew Street has been in the works for years. State lawmakers are seeking to delay it further.   Higher education changes: The bill that initially carried many of the ideas DeSantis teased in January has passed the Florida Senate floor. But its impact on state colleges and universities is largely scaled back. SPORTS Rays fall to White Sox: Tampa Bay was on its way to closing out another remarkable comeback victory Sunday when it ended up instead with a stunning walkoff loss.    May will be more telling: After rolling up wins in a relatively easy first month, the Rays will now face a 29-game run against teams with winning records.  The reckoning begins: For the first time in four years, the Lightning will not be going to the Stanley Cup Final. We break down the tense final 64 minutes and 35 seconds of Tampa Bay's season. Plus: Here are five burning questions as the Bolts head into an uncertain offseason.   Uncertain future: The Lightning still have skill, polish, fight and verve, just not in the abundance of days past, columnist John Romano writes. After so many seasons of high expectations, it’s hard to know what to anticipate in 2024. First-round pick: State schools like FSU, UF and even hometown Miami looked past Calijah Kancey because of his size. He went to Pitt, made a name for himself and now will get to start his pro career in his home state with the Bucs.   Other Bucs additions: Tampa Bay moved up two spots to No. 48 to grab Cody Mauch in the second round. Find out who else got picked this weekend, including a linebacker with family ties in St. Petersburg.   How Florida colleges fared in draft: The Gators were among 11 teams with at least six NFL draftees, but was the only team that finished unranked. Also: FSU football had a draft shutout, but it isn’t as bad as it seems.   St. Anthony's Triathlon altered: Athletes from Boulder, Colorado, and Bend, Oregon, won the race after a 1.45-mile run was substituted for the swimming portion due to the threat of inclement weather. Dive deeper into your favorite local subjects 📨 Our free email newsletters bring the best of the Tampa Bay Times to your inbox every week. Explore all of them here. TODAY'S TALKER [Times (2019)] Is Ybor City on the road to rebricking Seventh Avenue? There are 41 miles of brick streets across Tampa. A mile will be added if leaders in the city's historic Latin quarter have their way. It could cost $12 million. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Meaghan Habuda, Kelsey Harrell and Alexandra Urban. Did someone forward this to you? Get DayStarter in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. 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