The 2013 Florida Legislature passed several environmental bills during its regular session that ended May 3, 2013. We have identified and summarized those that will be of interest to our clients and others interested in Florida environmental law.

The 2013 Florida Legislature passed several growth management bills during its regular session that ended May 3, 2013. We have identified and summarized those that will be of interest to our clients and others interested in land use and development in Florida.

Here is your recap of important topics we covered last month. Did you miss them? Sign up now to receive future blog posts by email as soon as each is published.

In yet another recent example of U.S. Treasury’s campaign against financial crimes by nonbank entities, it today named Liberty Reserve S.A. as a financial institution of primary money laundering concern under Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently revised the rule that implements Section 1073 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that creates certain protections for consumers who transfer money internationally (the “Remittance Rule”). The revisions are intended to preserve the new consumer protections provided under the Remittance Rule while facilitating industry’s compliance with the rule.

The two-hour program will feature two sections: “SEC update: what’s on the mind of the staff … and the new SEC chair?” and “Hot topics and lessons learned from the 2013 proxy season.”

On May 6, 2013, the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Courts of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking a Florida law that bars state and local governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba. This amendment and similar state laws create new challenges for financial institutions seeking to maintain an adequate and comprehensive compliance program.

The United States Customs and Border Protection commenced its rollout of a new automated I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Process. CBP will phase-in the new automated I-94 process at air and sea ports of entry through April and May.

For example, adoption of revised Dissolved Oxygen (DO) criteria is a very favorable development for business interests such as permittees and dischargers since it reflects natural Florida conditions where DO lower than the previous criteria are common, even in pristine water bodies.