The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) has formally filed a motion to intervene in several federal lawsuits challenging House Bill 1205, a newly enacted law that reforms the state’s citizen initiative constitutional amendment process.
The party seeks to defend the legislation, signed by Governor DeSantis on May 2, 2025, which it argues bolsters election integrity and transparency.
HB 1205 introduces a raft of changes aimed at the process by which citizens can propose constitutional amendments. Key provisions include requiring both paid and volunteer petition circulators to be registered with the state, be U.S. citizens and Florida residents, and prohibiting those with felony convictions (whose voting rights are not restored) from circulating petitions.
READ: GOP Senators Pressure Trump To Sanction Russia Amid Stalled Ukraine Peace Talks
The law also bans compensating circulators based on the number of signatures collected, limits the number of signed petitions an unregistered individual can possess, and enhances petition verification procedures.
Further measures in HB 1205 revise submission deadlines, increase fines and create criminal penalties for fraudulent petition activities, mandate the inclusion of a financial impact statement on the petition form itself, and establish a process for voters to be notified of their verified signature and to revoke it if desired.
RPOF Chairman Evan Power voiced strong support for the law, stating, “These election integrity measures prevent fraud, ensure that petition signatures are valid and authentic, and provide greater information to voters about proposed amendments to Florida’s Constitution being pushed through the citizen initiative process.” He added, “By seeking to intervene in these lawsuits, the RPOF is affirming its commitment to defending Florida’s election integrity laws that have made Florida the nation’s ‘gold standard’ for election integrity and election administration.”
READ: Florida GOP Offers Helping Hand: Naming John Morgan’s New Political Party
A coalition of groups has mounted legal challenges to HB 1205.
Among them are Florida Decides Healthcare, a political committee advocating for Medicaid expansion; Smart & Safe Florida, which is again seeking to legalize recreational marijuana; the League of Women Voters of Florida and allied organizations, described by the RPOF as frequent critics of the state’s election laws; and FloridaRighttoCleanWater.org, a committee pushing for an amendment to allow lawsuits against the state for harm to Florida waters.
Chairman Power stated the importance of a trustworthy process, regardless of one’s stance on the proposed amendments themselves.
“Whether you as a voter agree or disagree with the individual policies being pushed by citizen initiative groups, we should all agree that voters have a right to complete information and that the process for putting proposed amendments to our State Constitution on the ballot should be valid and legitimate,” he said.
The RPOF’s intervention aims to ensure the party has a direct role in defending HB 1205 against these federal challenges, underscoring its commitment to what it terms a transparent and fraud-free system for citizen-led constitutional amendments.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
