In the latest edition of our quarterly magazine Sword&Scales, PLF president and CEO Steven D. Anderson penned a tribute to longtime PLF trustee and former Board chair, John Harris.

John passed away this summer at the age of 81. As Steven reminds us, his life “stretched over nearly a third of our country’s entire existence—and he spent that time transforming land and lives for the better, unlocking opportunities made possible by freedom.”

Last October, PLF attorneys filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Michael Colosi, a Florida property owner facing a staggering $139,440 development fee to build a home on his five-acre parcel—all in the name of protecting the Florida scrub-jay, a small blue songbird listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Unsurprisingly, the government then filed motions to dismiss Michael’s lawsuit—a critical hurdle that many similar cases never overcome. Fortunately, earlier this week the district court issued a detailed opinion rejecting the government’s arguments and ruling that Michael can press forward with his challenge.

Since it was founded in 2013, Helina Beck’s company, Wavehuggers, has taught more than 12,000 people how to surf. It employs 12 year-round instructors and up to 30 during the busy season. But the success of Helina’s business is now at stake, thanks to a California State Parks regulation that bans teaching on several northern San Diego County beaches. 

Thankfully, Helina’s not one to back down from a fight. As she puts it, “I’ve just decided I’m going to really fight for myself and anybody else in my position...I’m making waves.”

The blocks south of Houston Street (SoHo) in New York City were a ghost town in the 1960s. Factories had shuttered, warehouses were empty, and landlords struggled to fill vast cast-iron lofts. Then artists moved in—patching holes, rebuilding staircases, and improvising kitchens where factory sinks once stood.

Artists gave SoHo its soul, turning a derelict manufacturing space into the world’s most famous arts district. Now those same pioneers and their successors are being told they must pay the City $250,000 if they want to stay in the neighborhood. Fortunately, the residents are fighting back, and their lawsuit is now headed to New York’s highest court.

Dr. Sean Wells knows better than most what physical therapy can offer. As a teenager, he suffered a serious sports injury that could have changed his life. Instead, physical therapy restored his independence and inspired him to devote his career to helping others do the same.

Today, from his Florida clinic, he often encounters Medicare patients who want to pay out-of-pocket for their provider of choice—but federal rules force him to say “no.” Now, we’ve teamed up with Dr. Wells to file a federal lawsuit challenging Medicare’s discriminatory rule so that Americans are free to choose providers who best fit their needs—not the government’s.