TALLAHASSEE — The effort to place a recreational marijuana constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida is encountering significant obstacles as state officials update signature counts amid legal scrutiny. According to the Florida Division of Elections, as of Thursday, Smart & Safe Florida has submitted **714,888 valid signatures**. This figure represents an increase of approximately **40,000** since the last report but remains well short of the **880,062 signatures** required to qualify for the November 2024 ballot.
The political committee behind this initiative must not only reach the overall number but also meet specific signature thresholds across congressional districts. The state’s updated numbers come after Smart & Safe Florida filed a lawsuit against the elections office, seeking transparency regarding the validity of the signatures submitted.
Legal Challenges and Signature Verification Issues
State officials have attributed delays in signature verification to the need to invalidate potentially invalid signatures, a move that follows recent court rulings. A message on the Division of Elections website clarified that the reported totals do not reflect Secretary of State **Cord Byrd**’s official determination of verified valid signatures.
Additionally, county supervisors of elections are reportedly in the process of correcting their records to comply with legal mandates. These include invalidating signatures due to issues such as voter ineligibility and allegations of fraud. Smart & Safe Florida filed its lawsuit in Leon County after the division’s website displayed a static number of **675,307 valid signatures** since late November, despite the ongoing validation efforts by county officials.
The situation intensified when **Judge Jonathan Sjostrom** set an expedited timeline for the lawsuit’s proceedings. In response, the state’s legal team filed documents indicating that the website had been updated, albeit with significant caveats.
In a declaration, **Maria Matthews**, Director of the Division of Elections, explained that her office halted updates following a **November 25** court ruling that required signatures gathered without the full text of the amendment to be disqualified. This ruling affected about **200,000 signatures**.
Investigation into Allegations of Fraud
The controversy surrounding the amendment is further complicated by allegations of election fraud. **James Uthmeier**, Florida’s Attorney General, recently announced the arrest of a woman, **Teagen Marie Targhuhanuchi**, accused of submitting fraudulent voter registrations linked to the marijuana initiative. Uthmeier criticized the involvement of major corporations in the petition process, stating, “There is no excuse for a mega marijuana corporation and its affiliates to fraudulently hijack Florida’s Constitution.”
Uthmeier has also initiated a broader investigation, which now includes **46 criminal probes** and four subpoenas directed at Smart & Safe Florida and its associates, aiming to uncover potentially fraudulent activities in the signature-gathering process.
As the Florida Supreme Court prepares to evaluate whether the proposed amendment meets the legal criteria for ballot inclusion, Smart & Safe Florida has filed a brief asserting that their initiative fulfills all necessary requirements. The situation continues to evolve, with both sides appealing various aspects of previous court rulings, creating a complex legal landscape as the February 1 deadline for valid signatures approaches.
The outcome of this initiative could significantly impact Florida’s marijuana legislation, as both sides prepare for what promises to be a contentious legal battle in the coming weeks.
