Overview

• Florida Decides HealthCare, supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Elias Law Group, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ballot initiative restrictions.
• The law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday, introduces stricter deadlines, residency and training requirements, and felony penalties for unregistered petition circulators.
• Critics argue the restrictions suppress grassroots participation and make it prohibitively costly to qualify citizen initiatives for the ballot.
• The lawsuit comes as Florida Decides HealthCare works to gather 880,000 signatures for a 2026 Medicaid expansion initiative, with 100,000 collected so far.
• Supporters of the law, including state Sen. Don Gaetz, claim the measures are necessary to prevent fraud and ensure the integrity of the amendment process.