TALLAHASSEE — Saying the “injury to Florida’s economy grows by the day,” a U.S. district judge Friday issued a preliminary injunction against federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restrictions that have idled cruise ships in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 124-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday was a major victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody, who argue that the CDC overstepped its legal authority as it tried to prevent the spread of the virus.
“CDC cites no historical precedent in which the federal government detained a fleet of vessels for more than a year and imposed comprehensive and impossibly detailed ‘technical guidelines’ before again permitting a vessel to sail,” Merryday wrote. “That is, CDC cites no historical precedent for, in effect, closing an entire industry.”
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