Latest news with #Amendment4
Miami Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida Legislature tightens reins on constitutional amendment petition drives
On the last scheduled day of Florida's regular legislative session, lawmakers passed a Gov. Ron DeSantis priority to change the state's ballot initiative process. The measure passed by the Legislature didn't go as far as DeSantis' office wanted. But opponents of the bill said it would still make it difficult for everyday people to participate in the ballot initiative process, and would instead keep power in the hands of state lawmakers and corporate interests. Bill sponsors, though, said that the legislation was a reasonable way to protect the initiative petition system from fraud. They pointed to a report from the Office of Election Crimes and Security that alleged widespread fraud in an amendment campaign last year. 'This bill does nothing to stop the dissemination of, the distribution of, a petition to the constitution,' said Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, the bill's cosponsor. 'Nothing. And it puts guardrails, reasonable guardrails, in those places where we have found fraud.' Critics of the state's report have accused the DeSantis administration of applying uneven scrutiny toward an issue he opposed. Floridians have long used the ballot initiative process to amend the constitution in support of policies that have been otherwise stymied in Tallahassee, like allowing medical marijuana access, creating a $15 minimum wage and restoring voting rights for felons. This past year, two groups put proposals on the ballot to allow for recreational marijuana use, Amendment 3, and to protect abortion access, Amendment 4. Both measures failed to pass the required 60% support threshold but got a majority of voter support. Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said it's a trend for state Republicans to change the law if they don't like what they see in the prior election. She pointed to how the state has already made changes to vote-by-mail ballots and to how ballot initiative petitions must be gathered. 'Those amendments, those pesky Amendments 3 and 4, just came too damn close to passing, so what are we gonna do?' Polsky said. 'We're going to make sure that doesn't happen again.' Sponsor groups that put forward a proposed constitutional amendment need nearly 900,000 validated petitions to get on the ballot. To achieve that number within the required deadline, sponsors often use paid petition circulators. Critics of the bill say it would make the process more expensive. The final legislation includes hefty fines and a threat of felony prosecution for petition circulators who do not register with the state, whether they're paid or not. Volunteers who collect more than 25 petitions beyond those in their immediate family would need to register as a circulator, or they could be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. People could still pass out as many blank petitions as they want, as long as the voters then turned in their signed petitions themselves. The bill also shortens the required turnaround time for petitions, requiring sponsors to submit them within 10 days instead of within 30 days. It would prohibit people with felony records who haven't had their rights restored, people who are not U.S. citizens and people who are not Florida residents from collecting petitions. Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said the bill 'puts the bar out of reach and then tells Floridians to jump anyway.' Grall, though, said it was offensive to assume that Florida's citizens couldn't follow the changed law. Some Democrats also pointed out that it sets harsher restrictions on petitions for a constitutional amendment, but doesn't crack down on the petitions that put lawmakers like them on the ballot. Though Democrats largely opposed the petition change proposal, they did throughout the session applaud one provision in it, inserted by Republican lawmakers — a ban on the state using taxpayer funds to put out messages about a proposed constitutional amendment. Last year, DeSantis' administration blanketed the airwaves with public service announcements directing voters to a website opposing the abortion amendment. Other public service announcements were decried by the marijuana amendment sponsor as propaganda. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, said that the ban on state spending was inspired by the actions of people who are part of state government, saying 'they engaged in behavior that will now be unlawful and will now be prevented if we pass this bill.' The Legislature has declined to look into exactly how much the state spent on its advertisements leading up to the last election. In the House, Democrats tried to take the public funding ban a step further by proposing two amendments in response to the House's investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation. The foundation received a $10 million donation from Medicaid provider Centene, then split that money between two nonprofits that later sent millions of dollars to a political committee focused on opposing the proposed marijuana amendment last year. Attorney General James Uthmeier helped direct the funds. He also was the head of the anti-Amendment 3 political committee. Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, grilled members of DeSantis' administration on Hope Florida through his role in the Health Care Budget Subcommittee. Andrade said the Democrats' proposal didn't need to be added on the bill with limited time left in session. 'I firmly believe that our law enforcement agencies are looking at this very closely at this point,' Andrade said. 'I hope that justice is done in the interim. Next session I'm sure we can do something.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida passes bill to change constitutional amendment petition process
TALLAHASSEE – On the last scheduled day of Florida's regular legislative session, lawmakers passed a Gov. Ron DeSantis priority to change the state's ballot initiative process. The measure passed by the Legislature didn't go as far as DeSantis' office wanted. But opponents of the bill said it would still make it difficult for everyday people to participate in the ballot initiative process, and would instead keep power in the hands of state lawmakers and corporate interests. Bill sponsors, though, said that the legislation was a reasonable way to protect the initiative petition system from fraud. They pointed to a report from the Office of Election Crimes and Security that alleged widespread fraud in an amendment campaign last year. 'This bill does nothing to stop the dissemination of, the distribution of, a petition to the constitution,' said Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, the bill's cosponsor. 'Nothing. And it puts guardrails, reasonable guardrails, in those places where we have found fraud.' Critics of the state's report have accused the DeSantis administration of applying uneven scrutiny toward an issue he opposed. Floridians have long used the ballot initiative process to amend the constitution in support of policies that have been otherwise stymied in Tallahassee, like allowing medical marijuana access, creating a $15 minimum wage and restoring voting rights for felons. This past year, two groups put proposals on the ballot to allow for recreational marijuana use, Amendment 3, and to protect abortion access, Amendment 4. Both measures failed to pass the required 60% support threshold but got a majority of voter support. Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said it's a trend for state Republicans to change the law if they don't like what they see in the prior election. She pointed to how the state has already made changes to vote-by-mail ballots and to how ballot initiative petitions must be gathered. 'Those amendments, those pesky Amendments 3 and 4, just came too damn close to passing, so what are we gonna do?' Polsky said. 'We're going to make sure that doesn't happen again.' Sponsor groups that put forward a proposed constitutional amendment need nearly 900,000 validated petitions to get on the ballot. To achieve that number within the required deadline, sponsors often use paid petition circulators. Critics of the bill say it would make the process more expensive. The final legislation includes hefty fines and a threat of felony prosecution for petition circulators who do not register with the state, whether they're paid or not. Volunteers who collect more than 25 petitions beyond those in their immediate family would need to register as a circulator, or they could be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. People could still pass out as many blank petitions as they want, as long as the voters then turned in their signed petitions themselves. The bill also shortens the required turnaround time for petitions, requiring sponsors to submit them within 10 days instead of within 30 days. It would prohibit people with felony records who haven't had their rights restored, people who are not U.S. citizens and people who are not Florida residents from collecting petitions. Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said the bill 'puts the bar out of reach and then tells Floridians to jump anyway.' Grall, though, said it was offensive to assume that Florida's citizens couldn't follow the changed law. Some Democrats also pointed out that it sets harsher restrictions on petitions for a constitutional amendment, but doesn't crack down on the petitions that put lawmakers like them on the ballot. Though Democrats largely opposed the petition change proposal, they did throughout the session applaud one provision in it, inserted by Republican lawmakers — a ban on the state using taxpayer funds to put out messages about a proposed constitutional amendment. Last year, DeSantis' administration blanketed the airwaves with public service announcements directing voters to a website opposing the abortion amendment. Other public service announcements were decried by the marijuana amendment sponsor as propaganda. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, said that the ban on state spending was inspired by the actions of people who are part of state government, saying 'they engaged in behavior that will now be unlawful and will now be prevented if we pass this bill.' The Legislature has declined to look into exactly how much the state spent on its advertisements leading up to the last election. In the House, Democrats tried to take the public funding ban a step further by proposing two amendments in response to the House's investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation. The foundation received a $10 million donation from Medicaid provider Centene, then split that money between two nonprofits that later sent millions of dollars to a political committee focused on opposing the proposed marijuana amendment last year. Attorney General James Uthmeier helped direct the funds. He also was the head of the anti-Amendment 3 political committee. Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, grilled members of DeSantis' administration on Hope Florida through his role in the Health Care Budget Subcommittee. Andrade said the Democrats' proposal didn't need to be added on the bill with limited time left in session. 'I firmly believe that our law enforcement agencies are looking at this very closely at this point,' Andrade said. 'I hope that justice is done in the interim. Next session I'm sure we can do something.'
Miami Herald
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Hope Florida executive director resigns a day after testifying in House inquiry
The executive director of Hope Florida resigned on Wednesday, a day after testifying before a House committee about his work with first lady Casey DeSantis' top initiative. Erik Dellenback's resignation was confirmed by Gov. Ron DeSantis' office. 'Mr. Dellenback is resigning to pursue the opportunity to become the new CEO of Florida Family Voice and will remain involved with Hope Florida in an advisory capacity,' the governor's office said in an email to the Herald/Times. Dellenback's time as the executive director of Hope Florida – a state program intended to help wean people off government aid by connecting them with churches and faith-based charities – lasted just three months. Dellenback's resignation comes as the program and the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity created to support the initiative, face scrutiny over their operations. At the center of the tumult: a $10 million donation the foundation received from a $67 million Medicaid state settlement that was previously undisclosed to the state Legislature. After the donation was received, the charity gave $5 million apiece to two separate organizations — Save Our Society from Drugs and Secure Florida's Future Inc. The groups later gave millions to a political committee waging an anti-marijuana campaign backed by the governor. Dellenback was called to testify before a House committee on Tuesday. At the meeting, testimony showed that those running the charity did not ask many questions before steering the $10 million to the dark-money groups. Lawmakers also found during the committee hearing that the charity didn't keep meeting minutes, had no budget or bylaws and didn't file its tax returns, all of which are requirements in state laws that govern ethics, oversight and governance. 'The decision by Erik Dellenback shows his character and integrity,' Rep. Alex Andrade, the Pensacola Republican who has been investigating the charity, said Wednesday in reaction to the resignation. On Tuesday, Dellenback described his leadership at Hope Florida as an extension of his role as the governor's liaison for faith and community, a post he has held for more than five years. He did not mention that he was planning to leave his post with Hope Florida during the meeting. Dellenback is leaving to lead The Florida Family Voice, a Christian organization that opposes abortion and LGBTQ rights. It is an influential voice in conservative politics. In his role with the governor's office, Dellenback has used his official position to advocate against abortion, including campaigning against Amendment 4, a ballot measure last year that would have broadened access to abortion. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Over DeSantis' objections, House votes to require appointees to live in Tallahassee
Brevard County Republican Rep. Debbie Mayfield. (Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives) With no debate, the House voted 111-1 on Wednesday to prohibit unelected state employees from conducting campaign-type activities during working hours and require agency heads to live in Tallahassee. Similar legislation is advancing in the Senate, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled that he will veto the proposal if it reaches his desk. The governor has targeted Melbourne Republican Rep. Debbie Mayfield's bill, HB 1445, during press conferences this week, saying it would become law 'over his veto pen.' State employees couldn't participate in political campaigns, solicit contributions, or use their authority to influence people's votes under the bill. Those prohibitions would apply both to candidate and issue campaigns, and employees could face first-degree misdemeanor penalties if they do so. The sole vote against HB 1445 came from Delray Beach Republican Rep. Mike Caruso, the only House lawmaker standing with the governor this year. Mayfield referred to her proposal on the House floor as good public policy. HB 1445 makes 'several changes with the goal of ensuring that our elected officials and our appointed officials are fully committed and focused on their primary duties of serving the state of Florida,' the sponsor said. DeSantis hasn't publicly addressed the anti-politicking aspect of the legislation. Instead, he has focused on the requirement that his appointees live in the state capital by Oct. 1, the location of all agency headquarters. 'They're pulling it out of their rear ends and trying to jam it through this process. Over my veto pen,' DeSantis said, likening Tallahassee to the D.C. swamp. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The involvement by state officials in DeSantis' campaign against the ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana and restore abortion access prompted legal challenges last year and has come under renewed scrutiny this legislative session. State House deepens probe of Hope Florida Foundation's political activity A House panel is investigating the transfer of legal settlement money through the Hope Florida Foundation to campaign against the marijuana initiative. Then-DeSantis' chief of staff, now state attorney general, James Uthmeier organized the money transfer to the anti-pot committee, Keep Florida Clean, which he ran, according to evidence unearthed by reporters and a House committee. Uthmeier played down any suggestion of wrongdoing during a press conference Monday, saying there's 'not a problem.' Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo appeared in press conferences against the marijuana constitutional amendment and got sued over the health department's letters threatening broadcasters that aired ads on behalf of the pro-abortion-rights campaign, Amendment 4. Additionally, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration's creation of a webpage stating that Amendment 4 'threatens women's safety' and its then-secretary Jason Weida's promotion of it prompted a complaint to the Florida Supreme Court, which ultimately sided with the DeSantis administration because the plaintiff lacked standing to sue. Aside from the DeSantis administration's use of state resources against the ballot initiatives last year, state employees in the governor's office called lobbyists to request donations for a political committee aligned with DeSantis as he and First Lady Casey DeSantis hinted that she was considering a run for governor, according to NBC News. The Senate version, SB 1760, doesn't include the provision against state employees' involvement in campaign activities, and needs to go through one more committee before it could be eligible for a floor vote. Both bills would require university trustees and members of the Board of Governors that oversees public universities to be U.S. citizens and live in Florida, unless they graduated from a state higher education institution. Mayfield, sponsor of the House bill, won a suit against the Florida Department of State Secretary Cord Byrd, a DeSantis appointee, after Byrd attempted to block Mayfield from appearing on the ballot for a special election in the state Senate district seat she previously held. The Republican representative won the primary for the Brevard County district with 60.81% of the vote on April 1. The general election is June 10 and Mayfield has resigned from the House effective June 9. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Number of abortions in Florida dropped more than any other state last year, new data shows
The number of abortions in Florida dropped significantly after the state's six-week ban took effect last May, according to a new analysis. Over 2024, there were 12,100 fewer abortions provided in Florida as compared to 2023, according to a report from The Guttmacher Institute, which describes itself as a "research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights." It was the steepest decline in abortions across the country. South Carolina has the second-largest decline, with 3,500 fewer abortions in 2024 compared to 2023. Kansas and Virginia, however, saw big increases in the number of abortions provided to people coming from other states. According to the analysis, 4,300 out-of-state patients traveled to Virginia for abortion care. Before Florida's six-week ban took effect last May, the state provided the only abortion access in the Deep South that went up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Generally, babies have a reasonable chance of surviving outside the womb around 24 weeks of gestation. "It is likely that Virginia absorbed patients affected by Florida's six-week abortion ban after it went into effect in May 2024," the analysis says. North Carolina is the closest state without a six-week or total abortion ban (that state allows abortion up to 12 weeks), but the 72-hour in-person waiting period makes it difficult for many to make the drive for an appointment. This makes Virginia a more convenient option, the analysis said, but the data also showed residents traveling as far as New York and California for abortions. In 2024, 73,710 abortions were provided by clinicians in Florida, a 14.1% drop from 2023. But overall across the country, the number of abortions increased from 1,033,740 abortions to 1,038,090, or about 0.4%. As previously reported, the six-week abortion ban took effect May 1, a month after the state's 15-week ban went into effect in April. The 15-week ban, passed in 2022, stalled in the Florida Supreme Court until this April, when the court overruled its own 34-year-old decision that said a privacy provision in the state's constitution protected a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy. Once the 15-week-ban took effect, it triggered the six-week ban, passed in 2023. Last fall, Amendment 4, which would have enshrined abortion rights in the Florida Constitution, failed with 57% of the statewide vote. In Florida, a ballot initiative needs 60% to pass. But 57%, or over 6 million votes, was enough for abortion rights advocates to call upon the Legislature to pay attention to the results and repeal the six-week abortion ban. Last fall, however, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said he would not change the law. It didn't stop Democrats this Legislative session from attempting to overturn the six-week ban with legislation (SB 870, HB 741, HB 1139) that would allow abortion until viability. None of those bills have been heard in committee. Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Abortions in Florida fell more than any other state, latest data shows
