Stories by Claudia Balthazar on Florida Record

The former principal at Changing Lives Academy, a private school in Orange County, recently filed suit in the Orange County Circuit Court against the school, claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting a teacher for alleged child abuse.

TALLHASSEE – Midland Credit Management Inc. and Midland Funding LLC, whose parent company, Encore Capital Group Inc. is among the leading firms in the consumer debt purchasing industry, recently reached a settlement with Attorney General Pam Bondi and 41 other state attorneys general and the District of Columbia after fighting in the courtroom for over five years, a Dec. 4 news release from Bondi's office said.

GAINESVILLE – Judge Maurice Paul of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida died at the age of 84  in Orlando on Dec. 29.

TALLAHASSEE– An appeals court has ruled against the Florida Education Association’s (FEA) claim that a de-facto school voucher system funding thousands of students' private school education looks bad for public schools. 

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters and other groups are pushing for more black hires at the Jacksonville Fire Department. This move follows a decades-long fight about a court-approved agreement requiring the city to hire an equal amount of black and white firefighters dating back to 1982.