TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida may soon add controversial safeguards to the state’s ballot initiative process.

The new proposal imposes additional requirements upon groups sponsoring changes to the Florida Constitution. 

“This process is incredibly important,” said Fort Myers State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill sponsor. “It’s our constitution. It belongs to the people of Florida, and we need to ensure we have integrity in the initiative process.”

A priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the reforms come after a pitched battle in Florida over initiatives in 2025 that nearly legalized recreational marijuana and added abortion protections into the state constitution. Both initiatives failed.

“This bill is not about election integrity,” said Equal Ground Executive Director Genesis Robinson. “It’s about fear. Fear of the people using their constitutional right to act. When you fail to deliver on the issues that matter most to them.” 

Under the bill, petition sponsors are required to post $1 million in bond. They must also limit signature gathers to Florida residents who pass a background check. The measure limits the timeline between signature gathering and the submission of signatures to election officials.

“If you care about the integrity of the process, you should support this bill… without integrity in the process, any outcomes from the process are just as corrupted as the means that got them there,” said Palm Coast Republican State Rep. Sam Greco.

The bill’s supporters assert the changes will safeguard election integrity and limit potential fraud. Critics, meanwhile, decry the proposal as harmful. They allege the measure empowers affluent Floridians, while also simultaneously disadvantaging others, as the bill levies penalties up to $50,000 per violation against sponsors.

“The fine proposed in this bill is punitive. They are arbitrary, and they are discriminatory against the small person and the working class family,” said Fort Lauderdale Democratic State Rep. Daryl Campbell.

Florida Republicans have long criticized the state’s initiative process, saying it has granted too much outside access to the state constitution. Florida is just one of 24 states that allows such citizen initiatives, which is a form of direct democracy.

“The United States of America, the state of Florida, are representative republics,” said Spring Hill State Rep. Jeff Holcomb. "You have 120 chances in the Florida House, and you got 40 chances in the Florida Senate. It is not hard to get a bill created.”

Citizen initiatives date back in Florida to 1968. In that time, Florida voters have weighed in on more than 50 different initiatives.

The legislation advanced Thursday through its first House committee. It will appear once more in committee and, if approved, will then appear for a final vote respectively in both the House and Senate chamber.