A.G. Gancarski
Citizens’ initiatives have generally proceeded without elected leaders campaigning against them.
Until now.
Amid an ongoing media push from Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis to subvert campaigns for the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana initiative and the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, the First Lady explained her obligation to wade into the fight against recreational pot as part of the job.
“A lot of people will come to me, they’re like, ‘Why do you put yourself in the arena? Why do you get into these fights? Why do you do this?’ Because when you see something as bad as what amendment three represents and you sit on the sideline, knowing what they’re trying to do to our state and you don’t fight? I think it’s malpractice on behalf of this office (of) The First Lady,” Casey DeSantis said.
“It’s not about me,” DeSantis added. “It’s about what do you do with the office and the opportunity that you have presented for you to go and fight on behalf of the people of this state and the direction of the state as we go off into the future.”
The Governor’s Office has been criticized for engaging in efforts to subvert these amendments, including using at least $16 million in state resources and agencies in this last-ditch effort to stop the expansion of marijuana’s availability. That number refers to ad buys, not the soft costs of travel and security, which would only increase the burden on taxpayers.
7 comments
Michael K
October 30, 2024 at 12:21 pm
Please.
Neither of the DeSanti have any business using public funds to interfere with the citizen initiative process. The only malpractice is the abuse of power from the governor (and his wife).
Scott K Rineer MD MPH
October 30, 2024 at 12:37 pm
there is no abuse against state resources here in my humble opinion: Our Governor and his First Lady’s work in educating the citizens of this great state of Florida regarding anything as monumentally significant as the proposed Amendments (3 and 4) most certainly falls within official purview. Especially considering that amount of monies being spent (in the case of amendment 3 already >140 million USD, which included foreign and out of state funds), the $16 million of state resources is definitely just and appropriate.
Frankie M.
October 30, 2024 at 10:09 pm
If a Democrat was doing the same thing you’d by crying crocodile tears. Good job hypocrite.
Iowa Cost Me $7000 a Vote
October 30, 2024 at 1:12 pm
It would also be malpractice to pressure the puppet legislature into allowing a governor to run for president without first resigning his job, and then spend all that time in Iowa spinning his wheels and come home empty handed.
If we’re lucky, the same thing will happen on Amendments 3 and 4.
Dont Say FLA
October 30, 2024 at 1:33 pm
“It’s not about me,” but I’ve been feeling ignored ever since Ron crashed and burned that year we spent in Iowa, so I’mma make it about me in any ways that I possibly can conjure up. Because more than anything else on Earth, I crave attention.
Frankie M.
October 30, 2024 at 10:06 pm
By “the Office” she means your money. She has no problem using your money to pursue her agenda. Any fiscal conservative would denounce her but they’ll most likely crown her.
LexT
October 31, 2024 at 7:55 am
So many of these items should not be Amendments. Florida’s “Constitution” is now littered with so many “great” ideas. None of those ideas has any meaningful ability to be tweaked or changed. They create mandates without funding sources. The amendments create entitlements without any nuisance. Can anyone explain what Amendment 2 does? I don’t think the authors know. They want it to pass so that they can see how far the courts will let them take it. Abortion is supposed to be a state legislative issue. Why? Because there are supposed to be exceptions, and if you have one exception, you’ll probably want to make two or three exceptions and you’ll be constantly tinkering with the exceptions. With Amendments there is no room for compromise; no room for trying something and tweaking it. No room for fixing loopholes. Stop all these silly amendments and just petition your legislature.