While some potential issues exist, I believe the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 should be beneficial to many companies because of the possible increased trade secret protection and aggressive potential remedies that it will provide.

While traditional nondisclosure agreements may protect trade secrets when parties wish to discuss a potential business transaction, NDAs may also jeopardize the strong protections already available under Florida law.

It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of Mr. David Shear, one of our colleagues in the Tampa office of Gunster.

Businesses with Clean Air Act permits should be monitoring the new Florida Department of Environmental Protection rulemaking process to ensure that the numeric limits or work practices changes are realistic and do not unnecessarily increase the risk of enforcement or third-party litigation.

HB 549 adds statutory penalties for businesses ($1 million) and individuals ($100,000) targeted under the RICO act.

Changes in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act have, over the years, broadly expanded the group of medical conditions requiring accommodation by employers – including conditions not currently affecting an employee’s health.

While political activity and freedom of speech are the crown jewels of our democracy, employers need to be wary of potential claims of coercion by employees.

Three of the most valuable assets of businesses are trade secrets, customer relationships and employees. Noncompete agreements can be an effective tool to protect these assets.

Here are the top issues for Florida legislators this session, according to Gunster’s government affairs law & lobbying team.