Campaign delays push to expand Medicaid in Florida until 2028, citing new state law

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A campaign to expand Medicaid in Florida is delaying its push to get the issue on the ballot until 2028, citing a new state law restricting the process to get constitutional amendments before voters.

The group Florida Decides Healthcare had been working to get the measure on the 2026 ballot, while challenging the law in a federal court. That case is slated to go to trial in January.

On Thursday, the campaign said that by passing the new law known as H.B. 1205, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Legislature “changed the ballot initiative rules mid-campaign” in a way that “deliberately undermined” the group's push to gather enough petition signatures from Florida voters to get the measure on the 2026 ballot.

“HB 1205 imposed roadblocks that made signature gathering nearly impossible on a 2026 timeline,” the campaign said in a statement.

Representatives for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The law signed by DeSantis in May sets new limits on how many petitions Florida voters can collect in their effort to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot, a provision punishable by a felony if voters violate it. The measure also bars non-U.S. citizens and non-Florida residents from gathering signed petitions for ballot initiatives.

The Florida Legislature pushed the changes months after a majority of the state's voters supported ballot initiatives to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana, though the measures fell short of the 60% needed to pass. Lawmakers argued that the restrictions are needed to reform a process they claim has been tainted by fraud.

“HB 1205 wasn’t about transparency, it was sabotage aimed directly at citizen-led ballot initiatives. This law may have delayed us until 2028, but it will not stop us,” said Mitch Emerson, executive director of Florida Decides Healthcare.

Nearly 150 bills were introduced across 15 state legislatures this year seeking to make it harder for initiatives to qualify for the ballot or win approval by voters — nearly double the amount of just two years ago, according to the Fairness Project, a progressive group that has backed dozens of ballot initiatives in states. Voting rights advocates say the trend betrays the promise of direct democracy.

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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.