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Tag: Florida marijuana amendment

  • Marijuana amendment group confident it’ll make 2026 Florida ballot

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    The latest effort to legalize marijuana in Florida encountered a legal setback but those behind a new amendment insist they still can qualify for the 2026 ballot.

    Florida election officials have told local election supervisors to toss out 200,000 petition signatures that they say are invalid. Smart & Safe Florida, the group pushing the initiative, and which has relied on millions from the state’s largest medical marijuana provider, Trulieve, challenged the decision in court. But in a ruling from the bench last week by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper sided with the state.

    Smart & Safe announced Tuesday that it would not appeal Cooper’s ruling.

    “We are confident in the ability to submit enough petitions to make ballot position so long as the state does its job in good faith to process the submitted petitions and accurately report the verification totals,” the organization said in a prepared statement.

    To place an initiative on the ballot, the group must gather more than 880,000 signatures from Florida voters. Smart & Safe says it still has more than 1 million signatures even without the ones disqualified by the state.

    The deadline to have the petition signatures validated is Feb. 1.

    In its statement, the organization urged Secretary of State Cord Byrd to “timely process the petitions and update its reporting of the verified petitions as required by law. The public deserves to have their petitions counted.”

    Those backing the legalization effort tried and failed to get a measure passed in the 2024 election. Gov. Ron DeSantis sharply criticized the amendment and his then chief-of-staff James Uthmeier (now Florida attorney general) led the political committee that urged voters to turn it down. The amendment fell short of the 60% threshold needed to pass.

    In early 2025, Smart & Safe renewed its push and mailed a copy of a reworked initiative to millions of voters. But instead of providing a complete text of the amendment, it listed a website address on the back of the petition form that had been approved by state officials. That website address took voters to a page on Smart & Safe website that included the entire amendment.

    Byrd, however, sent Smart & Safe a “cease and desist” letter in which he questioned the legality of the forms and said they had been altered without permission. State officials also demanded the organization hand over names and addresses of those who received the forms. In early October, the Division of Elections instructed supervisors to invalidate roughly 200,000 signed forms.

    Smart & Safe challenged the state’s directive to local election supervisors but after a one-day hearing last week Cooper ruled with the state.

    Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power applauded Cooper’s ruling.

    “Gov. DeSantis did the right thing by enforcing the law and protecting the integrity of our ballot,” Power said. “Floridians will not be misled. If you want to change our constitution, you follow the rules — period.”

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    From ‘Dune’ to Dr. Phillips Center … what a trip



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    Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
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  • DeSantis-linked anti-pot PAC receives $1 million from group affiliated with co-founders of ‘abusive’ teen drug rehab program

    DeSantis-linked anti-pot PAC receives $1 million from group affiliated with co-founders of ‘abusive’ teen drug rehab program

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    A political committee tied to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that is actively fighting Florida’s pot legalization ballot initiative received one of its largest contributions to date this month from a nonprofit created by the late GOP mega-donor and dedicated drug war hawk Betty Sembler.

    Sembler, who died at age 90 in 2022, was a co-founding member of the controversial teen drug rehab program Straight Inc., along with her late husband Mel Sembler, a former U.S. ambassador under President George Bush.

    Straight Inc., founded half a century ago in Florida, has been described by at least one former patient as “torture,” as one of several prominent programs that blossomed within the widely criticized “troubled-teen” industry, before Straight was forced out of existence.

    Campaign finance records more recently show the Semblers’ Florida-based group Save Our Society From Drugs contributed $1 million this month to Keep Florida Clean, a committee chaired by DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier. The Keep Florida Clean committee, launched in July, was created as an opposition campaign to Florida’s Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana use for adults aged 21 and older, if approved by Florida voters this November.

    The late Semblers, based in St. Petersburg prior to their deaths, tossed sizable campaign contributions toward GOP politicians during their time (including DeSantis), and had an extensive history of funding state-level campaigns against efforts to legalize medical marijuana.

    According to The Nation, Save Our Society From Drugs for instance also helped bankroll an unsuccessful campaign against Colorado’s historic marijuana legalization ballot initiative in 2012. The group was reportedly the opposition campaign’s biggest funder. The Semblers’ affiliated nonprofit, the Drug Free America Foundation, similarly threw money into a campaign against a medical marijuana legalization measure in Florida in 2014 (which received majority support from voters, but fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to pass) and a successful initiative to legalize medical marijuana use in 2016, state campaign finance records show. 

    The St. Petersburg power couple, in the business of retail real estate development, were reportedly close to the Bush family and eventually (if warily) fundraised for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, after the campaigns of fellow presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, to their chagrin, flopped.

    Decades earlier, however, the Semblers became well-known figures in the war on drugs. In 1976, the Semblers co-founded teen residential rehab program Straight Inc., which reportedly attracted the attention and praise of first lady Nancy Reagan, prior to her own rollout of the infamous “Just Say No” to drugs campaign.

    Straight Inc., later hit with multiple lawsuits over its treatment of children, was forced to shutter its facilities in the early 1990s (including one in Orlando) after a series of scandals emerged, involving allegations of mental, psychological and physical abuse.

    “It robbed me of my innocence,” one 40-year-old survivor told the Tampa Bay Times (then the St. Petersburg Times) in 2002, after being forced into a Straight Inc. program in Florida at 16 years old.

    Richard Bradbury, another patient from the Tampa Bay area who even graduated from and became a staffer at a Straight program before “campaigning to destroy the organization,” later described the program to the Times as “pure child abuse” and “torture.”

    Investigators in California found that teen patients at a Straight Inc. facility there had similarly been subjected to “unusual punishment, infliction of pain, humiliation, intimidation, ridicule, coercion, threats, mental abuse … and interference with daily living functions such as eating, sleeping and toileting” prior to its eventual closure.

    Yet the couple nonetheless persevered in their anti-drug advocacy. After the downfall of Straight, the Semblers reportedly changed its name to the Drug Free America Foundation, gutting the treatment component of their advocacy, and created the affiliated Save Our Society From Drugs. The nonprofit is still active and based in St. Pete, along with their son Brent Sembler, who also openly moonlights these days as a political fundraiser for the GOP in addition to serving as vice chairman of his late father’s development company.

    State campaign finance records show that the Save Our Society From Drugs’ contribution to Keep Florida Clean is the third-largest contribution it has received so far since its launch, behind a $1.1 million donation from Secure Florida’s Future Inc., a nonprofit based in Tallahassee, and a $12 million donation from billionaire hedge-fund manager Kenneth Griffin.

    The anti-pot political committee has raised nearly $14.5 million since it was first launched in July, complementing the separate DeSantis-linked Florida Freedom Fund PAC, which is similarly raising funds to oppose both Amendment 3 and Florida’s abortion rights measure, Amendment 4. Meanwhile, Smart & Safe Florida, the cannabis industry-backed committee leading efforts to pass Amendment 3, has raised over $100 million since its launch in 2022, with most of its money coming in from cannabis dispensaries like Trulieve.

    Despite DeSantis’ voiced opposition to Amendment 3 (due in part to his concern that it will make the state smell bad), the ballot measure has garnered cross-partisan support in the business-friendly Sunshine State, earning endorsements from former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the Florida Young Republicans, the Libertarian Party of Florida, the Florida Democratic Party and former GOP chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters. The Florida Chamber of Commerce (confusingly) announced its own opposition to the initiative on April Fools Day in a news released emailed to press at exactly 4:20 p.m.

    If Amendment 3 is approved by voters, Florida would join roughly half of the rest of the country that has similarly legalized recreational marijuana use, which advocates say could help boost the state and local economies, and reduce dangers associated with unregulated pot. Amendment 3 needs a “yes” vote from at least 60 percent of voters in order to pass.

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    McKenna Schueler

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  • Florida Gov. DeSantis defends targeting marijuana petition workers

    Florida Gov. DeSantis defends targeting marijuana petition workers

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    While supporters of proposed constitutional amendments face stringent requirements for gathering petition signatures, Gov. Ron DeSantis contends additional steps could be needed.

    As he crusades against proposals on the November ballot that would allow recreational use of marijuana and enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution, DeSantis this week suggested more anti-fraud measures are needed.

    “There’s a lot of money that’s at stake here,” DeSantis said Monday during an appearance in Orlando. “People make money off the petition process. There’s an incentive to commit fraud. The Legislature tried to address it, but I don’t think that they’ve addressed it adequately.”

    Backers of proposed constitutional amendments had to submit at least 891,523 valid petition signatures to get initiatives on this year’s ballot.

    The Republican-controlled Legislature and DeSantis in recent years have banned a longstanding practice of paying petition gatherers based on the number of signatures they collect. They also have required petition forms to include information identifying petition gatherers, who are required to register with the state.

    DeSantis’ comment came as he responded to a question about the recent arrest of a petition gatherer amid an investigation by the state’s Office of Election Crimes and Security.

    Last week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced that Colton Brady, 34 of Fayetteville, Ga., was arrested Sept. 5 on eight counts of petition fraud crimes, including criminal use of a dead person’s information and submitting false voter registration information.

    An agency news release said Brady’s arrest was tied to “petition fraud on the personal use of marijuana initiative” and that Brady submitted 71 invalid forms.

    But the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is leading efforts to pass this year’s recreational-marijuana initiative, said Brady wasn’t part of their ballot drive, despite the possible inference by the state agency. The committee said Brady collected signatures for another marijuana measure. The Smart & Safe initiative will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 3.

    “That initiative (involving Brady) was completely separate and independent from Amendment 3 and these signatures were not related to Amendment 3,” Smart & Safe Florida said in a statement. “This individual was never paid by Smart & Safe Florida nor do we have any record of affiliation with him.”

    DeSantis backed the FDLE announcement as “accurate.”

    “This was somebody who had submitted fraudulent petitions, I think, during the 2022 (election) cycle. That’s a fraud. I mean, we’re not going to turn our backs on that,” DeSantis said.

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    Jim Turner, the News Service of Florida

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  • Florida Sen. Joe Gruters wants to ban smoking in public if recreational marijuana is legalized

    Florida Sen. Joe Gruters wants to ban smoking in public if recreational marijuana is legalized

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    Ron DeSantis has publicly stated that one of the main reasons why Floridians should reject a measure legalizing recreational cannabis for adults in November is that the smell of people smoking the herb will make the state a less enjoyable place to live.

    “This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and counties,” he said days after the Florida Supreme Court approved putting Amendment 3 on the ballot. “It will reduce the quality of life.”

    To combat that concern, Sarasota Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters said Thursday that he’ll introduce legislation next year banning smoking in all public places in Florida.

    The former Republican Party of Florida Chairman stunned some of his colleagues two weeks ago when he came out in support of the proposed constitutional amendment, but said that he wants to get ahead of the concerns that DeSantis and others have expressed about side effects.

    “People don’t want to go outside and smell it,” Gruters said on a remote conference call with reporters.” They don’t want to see it in public places. And so, to me, let’s follow the Arizona law and let’s go ahead and ban public smoking in all public places. I think this is easy to do, this is well within our authority, and I think that we need to get ahead of this. And that’s the whole purpose of the bill. It’s very simple.”

    In the referendum that Arizona voters passed in 2020 legalizing cannabis for recreational use, the specific text of the law says that it “does not allow any person to smoke marijuana in a public place or open space.”

    Florida law limits proposed constitutional amendment ballot summaries to 75 words. That’s allowed DeSantis and other critics to suggest some wild scenarios if the measure passes, such as allowing individuals to “bring 20 joints to an elementary school.”

    Gruters said he is confident the Legislature will address all of those unanswered questions if the measure passes in November.

    “When this passes, the implementation portion of the bill that the Legislature will come up with, that’s the easiest time to put some of these guardrails in place,” Gruters said. “And I would not want to wait for all the local governments to come around and do something but, at the same time, you gotta come up with a solution for a bill that will pass.”

    Dr. Jessica Spencer, director of advocacy for the Vote No on 3 campaign, called Gruters proposal “a stunning admission that Amendment 3 is filled with flaws that will turn Florida into New York and destroy our tourism industry by allowing unlimited marijuana consumption in public places.”

    “It’s ironic that the same people who support legalizing recreational marijuana through constitutional amendment instead of trusting the Legislature to do so, are now changing their tune and claiming they trust the Legislature to fix the problem that their amendment creates,” Spencer said in a written statement.

    “What’s worse, Gruters’ proposal doesn’t even fix the fact that Amendment 3 would still allow neighbors to smoke in their own apartments and condos and smell up the whole building. Amendment 3 and the failed plan that Gruters is proposing to bail it out must be rejected.”

    According to the proposed bill language, the term “public place” means “a place to which the public has access, including, but not limited to, streets; sidewalks; highways; public parks; and the common areas, both inside and outside, of schools, hospitals, government buildings, apartment buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments, restaurants, transportation facilities, and retail shops.”

    ‘Freedom Doesn’t Stink’

    Immediately after Gruters concluded his remote press conference, Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee campaigning for passage of Amendment 3, announced a new website called FreedomDoesn’tStink.com that lays out the Legislature’s ability to regulate recreational cannabis in the same way it does alcohol and tobacco.

    “What really stinks is politicians lying to Florida voters about the realities of living in a state with more individual freedom and safer communities,” said Morgan Hill, spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida. “Amendment 3 will put an end to arrests for simple marijuana possession, give adults the right to make their own choices, and provide Floridians access to safe, tested products. Smells pretty good to me.”

    Joining Gruters on the conference call was Tampa Bay Democratic state Sen. Darryl Rouson and Broward County House Republican Chip LaMarca. Rouson said he is signing on as a co-sponsor of the bill in the Senate, while LaMarca will sponsor it in the House. LaMarca worked with Gruters on the 2022 law that allows local governments to restrict smoking on public beaches and public parks that they own, with the exception of cigars.

    Cigars would be included as part of this legislation, Gruters said.

    “Florida is known for its clean water and it’s clean air, and we don’t want people to come down in public places regardless of what happens on Nov. 5,” said LaMarca, who said that the proposal was a good idea and that’s why he wants to be involved with it.

    “It really has nothing to do with the amendment, but I think it’s a good idea either way. I want to make sure that we keep our pristine environment, and people can go enjoy themselves at sidewalk cafes, beaches, parks, and quite honestly their own neighborhood.”

    Neither Rouson nor LaMarca would say whether they support Amendment Three.

    Split with DeSantis

    In supporting measure, Gruters is going up against Gov. DeSantis and the entire Republican Party of Florida — both have come out in opposition to the proposed amendment and are raising funds to defeat it in November.

    “I have not talked to [DeSantis] specifically about this bill in particular, but I have reached out regarding my support for the amendment, and I’ll leave it at that,” Gruters said.

    Amendment 3 needs 60% support to become law later this year. The measure is getting 56% support from Floridians, according to a poll released on Wednesday from Florida Atlantic University. Other polls, however, have shown it receiving more than the 60% required for passage.

    This story was updated with a comment from the No on 3 campaign.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: [email protected]. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

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