Campaign delays push to expand Medicaid in Florida until 2028, citing
new state law
[September 26, 2025]
By KATE PAYNE
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.
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People walk past a "vote" sign on the first day of early voting in
the general election in Miami, on Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne
Sladky, File)
 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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