A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t think there’s such a thing as a citizen’s initiative, saying that the process is dominated by “fraud” and “special interests.”
Given those conclusions, he believes political insiders, including some who are never elected, are better suited to decide what amendments go on the ballot.
“The Legislature can put constitutional amendments on the ballot. It doesn’t have to go through citizen initiative,” DeSantis said during remarks at Tampa’s Hula Bay Club.
He explained that the Legislature can put a measure on the ballot via supermajority, and that the Constitutional Revision Commission (CRC), which meets every 20 years, can also propose amendments.
The CRC doesn’t meet again until 2038. When it does, the process is largely dictated by the Governor, who picks 15 of the 37 members and the Chair of the CRC. Nine are selected by the Senate President, nine by the House Speaker, and three by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
The Florida Attorney General is also empaneled.
Earlier this month, DeSantis quickly signed HB 1205, the latest legislative action to make it tougher to get citizen’s initiatives. The bill includes new restrictions on petition collection, including online training and registration, a restriction to Florida residents only collecting the petitions, and a limit of 25 submissions at a time unless they register as an official petition circulator.
The law makes other sweeping changes to the process, including increasing the timeline to turn in signed petitions from 30 days to 10 days and requiring petition signers to provide personal information, such as the last four digits of their Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers.
16 comments
ScienceBLVR
May 7, 2025 at 12:03 pm
Today’s class lesson:
“We the PEOPLE”
the first 3 words in the preamble mean something!
One of the problems with our current FL GOP is they have decided to ignore the ideals behind our Constitution to favor the narrow partisan interests of their most powerful supporters, or choose to advance their own personal interests instead of viewing themselves as faithful agents of their constituents.
By being forced to acknowledge and respond to petitions from ordinary persons, officials become better informed and must openly defend their positions, enabling voters to pass a more informed judgment.
Rhonda hang it up!
May 7, 2025 at 1:11 pm
You’re done dude. Oop, ma’am!
Dallas Barret
May 7, 2025 at 2:42 pm
My friend recommended to me and I’ve gotten 2 checks for a total of $9,200…this is the best decision I made in a long time! This extra cash has changed my life in so many ways, thank you…
Go ON my ProFILE
Victoria Olson
May 7, 2025 at 12:54 pm
HELL NO YOU FASCIST NAZI DESANTIS. ScienceBLVR. Thank you for your informative statement that you made
Michael K
May 7, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Well, that’s how they do it in Russia. That tells you where Ron’s head is.
Bill
May 7, 2025 at 2:43 pm
I know where his head is and it ain’t Russia although the term rusty sheriffs badge springs to mind. It’s going to be a long 180 days.
Centene, Centene, Dont Take My Man Just Because You Can
May 7, 2025 at 2:47 pm
While Desantis is trying to shut down the ability of the public to circumvent the gerrymandered Chamber owned legislature, has anybody heard whether he’s going to give the $10,000,000 back?
Just asking for a friend.
tom palmer
May 7, 2025 at 3:52 pm
Yes, the Florida Legislature can propose constitutional amendments. The rub is that they rarely propose one that coincides with the public interest. That is why we have the workaround , which DeSantis and his buds are willing to work around
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
May 7, 2025 at 4:24 pm
Let’s cut the nonsense, folks: HB 1205 isn’t about “cleaning up” the citizen initiative process. It’s about power. It’s about control. And it’s about the political elite in Tallahassee doing everything they can to keep the people—the actual citizens of Florida—from going around them.
The bill’s sponsors say they’re concerned about “out-of-state bad actors.” Please. That’s political theater at its laziest. Since when did the zip code of an idea determine its merit? If a proposal gains enough signatures and resonates with Floridians, it shouldn’t matter who helped pass the clipboard. Good ideas shouldn’t require a Florida driver’s license.
What’s really going on here? Simple. Politicians are terrified that ordinary people might use the tools of direct democracy to push for things they don’t like. That’s it. Marijuana decriminalization. Term limits. Privacy rights. Things the ruling class refuses to touch, the people put on the ballot. And they hate that.
So instead of listening to us peasants and what we want, they’re attempting a sleight of hand, smoothly changing the rules to benefit bureaucrats.
HB 1205 adds unnecessary red tape, shortens petition deadlines, raises fines, and—get this—criminalizes people for collecting signatures outside their inner circle. You heard that right. Help gather signatures for a cause you believe in, and you could be hit with a third-degree felony. That’s nuts!
The hypocrisy is rich. After Gov. DeSantis blew millions in taxpayer money to campaign against citizen initiatives he didn’t like, the Legislature is suddenly concerned about public money being used on ballot amendments. Now that someone else might have the mic, they want to unplug it.
Look, I agree the Constitution shouldn’t be amended willy-nilly based on flavor-of-the-month politics. But handicapping the people’s ability to amend the basic law of the land is not the way to fix that. If the system is being abused, tighten transparency—not freedom. Fix fraud, don’t fix the fight.
HB 1205 isn’t about protecting the Constitution. It’s about fencing it off from the very people it’s supposed to serve.
Back off, Bro.
PeterH
May 7, 2025 at 4:46 pm
Well said Larry Gillis ….. while I don’t agree with everything you post ….. you have hit a bullseye with your comment.
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
May 7, 2025 at 10:43 pm
Thanks, Pete. I knew I liked you; now I know why. (LOL)
cassandra
May 8, 2025 at 9:56 am
100% AGREE !!!
Ron Ogden
May 8, 2025 at 10:09 am
Rather than Florida having its own little wasteful play-pretend democratic amendment process, let’s just do it the same way the federal Constitution is amended. Seems to have worked most of the time.
Leonard
May 9, 2025 at 9:08 am
There’s no such thing as a “citizen’s initiative”. The proposals that make it on the ballot are all driven by Special Interest…usually after failing to get enough support to pass a bill in the Legislature. These special interests have millions of dollars to promote their proposed amendment. Most of the time there is no organized or funded effort to oppose the proposal. Our Constitution should address fundamental rights and the structure/function of state government…not serve as a backstop for special interests who can’t get their idea passed in the Legislature.
MH/Duuuval
May 9, 2025 at 8:07 pm
Special interests is a broad term, not necessarily a pejorative one. E.g., the proposal that passed a few years back to require the pigs be given sufficient space. This was not merely for the comfort of the pigs, but to inhibit disease that might move into the food stream.
What’s galling is how special interests convinced voters — by a 50+ percent margin — to raise the threshold to 60 percent. The pigs issue was their argument in favor, but imagine how many other changes the wealth and connected don’t want, starting with an income tax. (Big discussion in Tally today, but no mention of income tax.)
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May 11, 2025 at 8:03 am
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