TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis predicted Thursday that two initiatives dealing with abortion rights and recreational marijuana will fail at the ballot box this November once voters become aware of the “radical” elements included in the two measures.
The remarks made by DeSantis are his first public comments on the initiatives since the state Supreme Court allowed the proposed constitutional amendments to go forward. The court, which includes five justices handpicked by the governor, rejected calls by Republicans, including DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody, to block the initiatives.
“Once voters figure out how radical both of those are they’re going to fail,” DeSantis said following a bill signing ceremony held in Davie. “They are very, very extreme.”
DeSantis also contended that many voters had “developed a skepticism” about proposed amendments in recent years and that the “default” position for many voters was no. While it’s true that voters have rejected various amendments in the last three elections, several measures were put on the ballot by the GOP-controlled Legislature — not outside groups. Additionally, voters have elected Republican candidates while voting in favor of measures pushed by progressive groups. A supermajority of voters backed a hike in the state's minimum wage the same year that Donald Trump won the state.
More broadly, abortion rights advocates in recent years have won in state elections, including in conservative-leaning Ohio, where voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to abortions.
DeSantis’ comments about the two initiatives now on the November ballot echo the message coming from other Republicans, especially the abortion measure, which would protect the procedure up to the point of fetal viability, which is usually about 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Citizen initiatives need to win approval from 60 percent of voters to win. Recent polls had shown that the two initiatives were polling of that threshold but a sustained and vocal campaign in opposition could do enough to push the number down.
Many Democrats, including the campaign of President Joe Biden, have predicted the two initiatives will drive turnout in a state that once seemed firmly in GOP control.
DeSantis also took aim at the measure that would permit recreational marijuana, suggesting in his comments that it would open to a proliferation of marijuana stores that could operate when and wherever they wanted.
“This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns,” DeSantis said. “It will reduce the quality of life.”
Steve Vancore, a spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee that sponsored the initiative, suggested that DeSantis had mischaracterized the potential impact of the measure if it passes.
“We share the governor’s concerns about people smoking in public but disagree in his assessment of the initiative,” Vancore said in an email. “The Florida Constitution and the proposed amendment expressly empower the Florida Legislature to enact time, place, and manner regulations of marijuana usage in public places.”
On the other initiative, DeSantis contended that the measure would make abortion as available at it is in California and that it “overrides” the state’s parental consent law even though the amendment states the initiative would preserve that law.
But by the time the amendment goes before voters, Florida will have implemented a strict ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the state’s existing ban on abortions after 15 weeks by overturning a 35-year-old ruling that found that abortion access was guaranteed due to the state’s right to privacy that was approved by voters. That decision means the six-week ban automatically will take effect in less than one month.
Critics say the new six-week ban will likely shut down most abortions in the state since some women don’t even know if they are pregnant by that time.
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