Florida asks Supreme Court to block CDC limits on cruise ship industry

The Florida attorney general on Friday asked the Supreme Court to block federal health restrictions on the cruise ship industry amid the pandemic.

In a 31-page brief, Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) argued that the limits of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exceeded the agency’s authority under federal law.

“The law gives the CDC limited powers to adopt traditional quarantine measures,” the brief said. “It doesn’t allow the agency to remake the entire cruise ship industry.”

The request has been filed with the courts Clarence thomasClarence Thomas No Reason to Fill Court Beyond Trump’s fragile lawsuits, there is an appropriate path to regulate Cuomo’s social media ‘gun emergency’: Illusion in disguise as action, who handles emergency cases arising from Florida and the surrounding states and who can act on their own on the request or refer the case to the rest of the judges.

The CDC effectively halted cruises last year, from the early days of the pandemic in March 2020 until October. Since then, the agency has issued a “conditional navigation order,” which has allowed the industry to gradually resume operations with certain health restrictions in place, which has resulted in a legal challenge by Florida.

The state says cruise industry restrictions have cost Florida tens of millions of dollars and threaten to shake up the summer cruise season for the second year in a row.

Last month, a federal judge in Tampa sided with Florida, saying the CDC’s measure amounted to an illegal government overrun.

But last week, a split panel of the Federal Court of Appeals agreed to suspend the ruling while the CDC appeals, prompting Florida to ask the Supreme Court on Friday to lift the suspension.

Governor of Florida Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisFlorida Reports Highest Daily COVID-19 Cases Since January First Hearing Scheduled for Trial Regarding New Florida Riot Bill Florida AG Test Positive for COVID-19 PLUS (R) earlier this week seemed confident when discussing the state’s legal challenge in Florida v. Xavier Becerra.

“I think most courts at this point have had their limit with the CDC issuing these diktats without a firm legal basis,” he said at a press conference in Poinciana, Florida.