5 Florida Legal Issues to Keep an Eye On for the New Year

From the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington to a Tallahassee courthouse, Florida's high-profile legal battles in 2018 will focus on issues ranging from a water war to medical marijuana.

With thousands of lawsuits moving through state and federal courts, it's impossible to list — or foresee — all the major legal disputes that will play out in the new year. But here are five to watch:

WATER WAR: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in a long-running water battle between Florida and Georgia. The crux of the issue: Florida contends that Georgia is siphoning too much water in northern parts of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, damaging the Apalachicola River and the oyster industry in Franklin County's Apalachicola Bay. But a special master appointed by the Supreme Court recommended that Florida should be denied relief. Georgia has argued that limits on its water use would undermine the state's economy, including the growth of the Atlanta area and the agriculture industry in Southeast Georgia.