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Florida marijuana laws: What to know about the state’s history of legalization attempts

Published

1 year ago

March 12, 2024

Florida marijuana laws: What to know about the state’s history of legalization attempts

Floridians this year could become the 25th state where recreational marijuana is legal — if the Florida Supreme Court approves the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana ballot initiative.

Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis said there could be a “big problem” with weed stinking up public places, he also predicted the amendment would make it to the November ballot. Right now, the Florida Supreme Court has until April 1 to approve the ballot initiative, which would decriminalize marijuana for adults 21 and over under state law. Marijuana would still be outlawed federally if voters end up passing the referendum with a 60 percent majority. Marijuana laws have evolved in Florida over the past decade as pro-cannabis activists have quarreled with the status quo to make weed accessible to more Floridians, even without a medical card.

More: Who can and can’t get a medical marijuana card in Florida? Here’s everything you need to know

Here’s how Florida’s marijuana laws have progressed over the past decade:

Limited medical marijuana legalized 2014

The 2014 Compassionate Use Act legalizes low-THC medical cannabis for patients with cancer and epilepsy.

Amendment 2 referendum fails 2014

The expansive medical marijuana that passed two years later failed the first time it was attempted in 2014. Needing a supermajority of 60 percent of voters to approve the amendment, the measure only received just over 57 percent, leaving activists to regroup.

Full strength medical marijuana legalized 2016

In 2016, the Right to Try Act allows full strength marijuana for patients with terminal conditions. Prior to the law, only low-THC strains of marijuana had been allowed for those patients.

Medical marijuana expanded further 2016

In 2016, the Florida Medical marijuana Legalization Initiative referendum passed with 71.3% of the vote, expanding medical marijuana program. The legislature implemented the law in summer of 2017.

Previously, only those with terminal conditions were allowed access to medical marijuana. Under the new law, marijuana access was extended to those with conditions such as HIV, PTSD, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Smoking weed legalized for medical users 2019

By 2019, the Florida legislature reversed previous bans on smokable forms of marijuana along with THC vaping under medical marijuana program.

Recreational marijuana petition fails 2021

Two years before the petition now being considered by the Florida Supreme Court received enough signatures to be placed on the ballot, a similar one was rejected by justices who said the language was misleading.

Activists gathered more than 556,000 signatures out of the 891,589 needed for the measure to make the 2022 ballot before the court ruled the amendment’s language failed to clarify marijuana would still be illegal under federal rules.

Recreational marijuana petition 2023

Hoping to overcome the earlier setback, Smart and Safe Florida collected over a million petition signatures to put adult personal use of marijuana legalization on the 2024 ballot.

Although activists have included language in this latest petition to clarify that the state law will not override federal rules against marijuana, the state of Florida is still challenging the petition, hoping to keep it from reaching the ballot in the November 2024 election.

The state again has argued before the Supreme Court that the amendment fails to accurately inform voters that marijuana would still be illegal under federal law.

More: DeSantis predicts Florida will vote on recreational marijuana in 2024, site says

When does the Florida Supreme Court have to decide?

Florida Supreme Court justices have until April 1 to approve the amendment language for November’s ballot. Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis has voiced concerns over the smell of marijuana smoke proliferating in public spaces should it become decriminalized, he also predicted the court will approve the measure.

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Official Florida Panthers Website | Florida Panthers

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1 hour ago

May 30, 2025

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Official Florida Panthers Website | Florida Panthers

FloridaPanthers.com is the official Web site of the Florida Panthers. Florida Panthers and floridapanthers.com are trademarks of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks and NHL Draft name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

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What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Florida in Women’s College World Series

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19 hours ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Florida in Women’s College World Series

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tennessee softball faces elimination in the Women’s College World Series.

The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (45-16) lost their WCWS opener 4-3 to Oklahoma on a walk-off home run at Devon Park on May 29. Tennessee will face No. 3 seed Florida (48-16) on May 30 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Here’s what you need need to know about the matchup with the Gators.

Buy tickets for Tennessee softball vs. Florida in WCWS

Florida’s offense struggled against Texas in WCWS opener

Florida got shut out by Texas in its WCWS opener, falling 3-0 to the Longhorns. Texas ace Teagan Kavan only threw one strikeout, but she kept the Gators off-balance and only gave up two walks.

Florida has struggled all year against elite pitchers all season. Including the regular-season series against Texas, the Gators faced Kavan for 15⅔ innings this season and had 12 hits, one earned run, nine strikeouts and four walks.

Florida also struggled against LSU pitcher Sydney Berzon and Texas A&M pitcher Emiley Kennedy, and its offensive performance against Kavan doesn’t bode well for facing Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens.

Tennessee’s offense will likely face Keagan Rothrock

The Lady Vols had one of their better offensive performances against the Sooners despite the loss. They got runners on base in every inning and recorded a hit in every inning except the third and fourth.

Tennessee was aggressive early and it paid off. Oklahoma’s defense stifled UT’s momentum, but the Lady Vols continue to build on their offensive performances each game of the postseason.

Florida will likely start ace Keagan Rothrock (16-7), who pitched the first five innings against Texas. Rothrock owns a 3.24 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 131⅔ innings this season. The sophomore is already a strong pitcher, but if Tennessee logged eight hits against OU pitcher Sam Landry, it should be able to hit off Rothrock, too.

Karlyn Pickens capable of pitching back-to-back

It’s not uncommon for Pickens (24-10) to pitch in back-to-back games for Tennessee, and it would be shocking if she didn’t start with the season on the line.

Pickens pitched complete games in two straight days in Tennessee’s road series win against Texas in the regular season and she did it against Nebraska in the super regional. Pickens only got better as the super regional wore on, and she threw 21 strikeouts and gave up seven hits and two walks in two straight elimination games.

Pickens had a strong outing against Oklahoma outside of the two home runs from Ella Parker. She held the Sooners to five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Tennessee softball vs Florida WCWS prediction

Tennessee 4, Florida 1: The Gators’ offense won’t have any answers for Pickens, and they haven’t won a single game this season when they scored fewer than three runs. Tennessee will beat Florida and live to see another day in Oklahoma City.

Tennessee softball vs Florida: Series history

Tennessee is 35-54 all time against Florida, but the Lady Vols are 7-3 in the last 10 matchups with the Gators.

Tennessee has played Florida in the WCWS twice. The Lady Vols won 9-2 in 2013 and lost 7-2 in 2015. The last time Tennessee and Florida played was a three-game series in 2023, and UT swept UF. The Lady Vols won 11-0 in Game 1, 10-6 in Game 2 and 4-0 in Game 3.

Watch Tennessee softball vs. Florida on Fubo (free trial)

What time does Tennessee softball vs Florida start?

Date: Friday, May 30
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Devon Park in Oklahoma City

What TV channel is Tennessee softball vs Florida on?

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

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Central Florida congressman shares concerns about FEMA cuts ahead of hurricane season

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

Central Florida congressman shares concerns about FEMA cuts ahead of hurricane season

ORLANDO, Fla. – As hurricane season begins, the Federal Emergency Management Agency could face significant challenges amid budget cuts.

Florida Democratic Congressman Darren Soto expressed his concerns about the potential impact of these changes on the Sunshine State.

“I’m deeply concerned about the attempted changes to FEMA,” Soto said.

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According to CBS News, FEMA lost a third of its staff after 1,800 employees accepted buyout offers from the Trump administration. With an additional 200 probationary workers fired, the agency is shorthanded. CBS News also reported on an internal FEMA review that indicated the agency is “not ready” for hurricane season.

“If a hurricane hits and we don’t get individual relief, it means that you’re not going to get any assistance if you need temporary housing or a loan to fix your house while you’re waiting for the insurance company to pay out, which could be years,” Soto explained.

“It means local governments don’t get reimbursed for cleaning up both the roads and the overtime for law enforcement, firefighters, and our first responders.”

While Congress reviews the Trump administration’s proposal to slash FEMA’s budget, some Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue that the agency could be dissolved outright.

“We don’t rely on FEMA. We do it. We lead. We have local partners and the best emergency management team from the local and state level anywhere in the country, bar none,” DeSantis stated in April.

However, Soto disagrees with this perspective.

“It is a boneheaded idea. Look, the states are very good at responding initially, but they don’t have the money to fund the recovery,” he said.

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