Judge rules for Florida on CDC order blocking cruise ships

A federal judge has ruled for Florida in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order making it difficult for cruise ships to sail due to the coronavirus pandemic

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A federal judge on Friday ruled for Florida in a lawsuit challenging a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order making it difficult for cruise ships to resume sailing due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday wrote in a 124-page decision that Florida would be harmed if the CDC order, which the state said effectively blocked most cruises, were to continue. The Tampa-based judge granted a preliminary injunction that prevents the CDC from enforcing the order pending further legal action on a broader Florida lawsuit. “This order finds that Florida is highly likely to prevail on the merits of the claim that CDC's conditional sailing order and the implementing orders exceed the authority delegated to the CDC," Merryday wrote.