Florida Marijuana Campaign Won’t Appeal Tossed Signatures, Presses State to Count Backlog

The campaign now focuses on getting a large verification backlog processed following a ruling that kept 200,000 petitions invalid.

Overview

Smart & Safe Florida formally waived its right to appeal the Leon County decision upholding the rejection of roughly 200,000 signatures.
The committee says it has submitted about 1,010,000 signatures not including the discarded batch and urges timely processing of roughly 600,000 uncounted submissions.
State records currently show 675,307 valid petitions, a tally that still reflects signatures later ruled invalid over format changes that linked to the amendment text online.
Judge John Cooper upheld the Division of Elections’ directive, citing a requirement that petitions include the full amendment text rather than a website link.
The measure needs 880,062 verified signatures by Feb. 1, 2026, as local supervisors work through a post-freeze backlog; Secretary of State Cord Byrd and GOP chair Evan Power praised the ruling while Trulieve’s nearly $26 million remains a key funding source.