New petition law may doom Medicaid, marijuana ballot efforts

AI-assisted summary

A new Florida law adds stricter requirements and higher costs for groups gathering petitions for ballot initiatives.

The law requires petition gatherers to be Florida residents and increases fines for violations.

Groups seeking to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana face challenges in meeting the February 1 deadline.

Amid an ongoing crackdown on petition fraud and putting more requirements on groups gathering petitions, efforts to put and Medicaid expansion measures on the November 2026 ballot could falter before next year’s deadline.

In a court filing last month, , a group attempting to put a measure expanding Medicaid on the ballot, claimed the new law ( ) would likely squelch their efforts.

“HB 1205 as enforced by the Supervisors (of elections)