Florida
Florida To Vote On Marijuana Legalization On 2024 Ballot, DeSantis Suggests
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 18: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests at the Republican … [+]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has stated that the Supreme Court will approve the initiative for adult-use marijuana initiative, which potentially can pave the way for the state to vote on legalization in the 2024 ballot.
If approved, the marijuana legalization initiative will be featured on November’s ballot alongside the Presidential elections, with Florida potentially joining over 24 U.S. states that have legalized adult-use marijuana despite federal illegality.
Days before withdrawing from the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race and endorsing Donald Trump, DeSantis, inquired by cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy, discussed the possibility of marijuana legalization appearing on the Florida ballot, as first reported by Marijuana Moment.
“I think the court is going to approve that,” DeSantis reportedly stated during his final campaign event in New Hampshire, “so it’ll be on the ballot.”
Despite his opposition to the reform and his previous commitment not to federally decriminalize marijuana during his presidential campaign, DeSantis said that voters will have the opportunity to decide on the issue. Furthermore, when recently questioned about a federal ban on firearm ownership for marijuana users, DeSantis argued that such a restriction infringes on the Second Amendment, attempting to position himself as a stauncher defender of gun rights.
In Florida, constitutional amendments started by citizens need signatures equivalent to 8% of the votes cast in the last presidential election. Additionally, there’s a condition: these signatures must include 8% of district-wide votes from the last presidential election in at least half of the state’s congressional districts (14 out of 28). The signatures need to be collected and verified by February 1 of the election year for the initiative to be eligible for the ballot, and they remain valid until February 1 of an even-numbered year.
After the signature collection, the secretary of state presents the proposal to the Florida Attorney General and the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC). The attorney general subsequently requests an advisory opinion from the Florida Supreme Court. This opinion covers aspects like the measure’s adherence to the single-subject rule, appropriateness of the title and summary, and potential invalidity under the U.S. Constitution.
The ballot initiative in Florida seeking to legalize adult-use marijuana has garnered sufficient verified signatures for it to be included on the November ballot, according to the state data.
Smart & Safe Florida filed the ballot measure, which received approval for signature gathering on August 23, 2022. State officials confirmed on June 1 that the campaign had submitted enough valid signatures to meet the distribution requirement in 14 of the state’s 28 congressional districts. The Florida Division of Elections reported that the group had submitted 1,033,770 valid signatures.
Under the proposed amendment, individuals aged 21 and older will be allowed to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and accessories. It also grants Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other state-licensed entities the authority to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute adult-use marijuana products. The amendment applies to Florida law without altering or shielding violations of federal law. It establishes possession limits for personal use, enables consistent legislation, and provides definitions for terms.
As reported by MJBizDaily, the Florida-based multi-state operator Trulieve Cannabis holds a prominent position with 131 locations across the state.
In total, 11 states could potentially legalize marijuana in 2024 through the November ballot, with some currently running active campaigns and others already registered for the 2024 ballot.
Adult-use marijuana is currently illegal in Florida, and possession of up to 20 grams constitutes a misdemeanor, leading to potential penalties of up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1000, and the suspension of the offender’s driver’s license, although some cities and counties have implemented reforms, reducing penalties.
Medical use was legalized in 2016 through a constitutional amendment known as Amendment 2. The initiative, securing 71% of the vote, was successfully approved during the ballot.
Florida
Florida college Republicans group chat reveals racist texts: ‘Avoid the coloreds like the plague’
It only took three weeks for a group chat for conservative students at Florida International University (FIU) to become a place where participants eagerly used racist slurs, prompting widespread condemnation from community leaders.
Abel Alexander Carvajal, secretary of Miami-Dade county’s Republican party and a student at FIU’s College of Law, reportedly started the chat after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, in September 2025.
But on Wednesday, the Miami Herald published leaked WhatsApp conversations in which the college Republicans made racist, sexist, antisemitic and homophobic comments, including variations of the N-word used more than 400 times. Knowledge of the chat’s existence was revealed on the same day that Republican lawmakers in Florida pushed forward a bill to rename a one-mile stretch of road alongside FIU in honor of Kirk.
William Bejerano, who the Herald noted once tried to start an anti-abortion group at Miami Dade College, was the most prolific user of the N-word. Using the slur, Bejerano called for dozens of acts of extreme violence against Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting.
Dariel Gonzalez, then the College Republicans’ recruitment chair, who has recently applied to become a GOP committee member, responded to the calls for violence by saying: “How edgy.” He repeatedly used “colored” to describe Black people, including writing: “Ew you had colored professors?!” and “Avoid the coloreds like the plague,” according to the Herald.
Carvajal, who was appointed to a two-year role on the city of Hialeah’s planning and zoning board earlier this year, confirmed to the paper that the group chat was his doing, but he denied knowledge of the problematic comments until the publication contacted him about its logs last week.
“It’s been five months since this was sent and this is the first time I’ve seen this message,” Carvajal told the Herald.
“I guess to an extent, I bear some responsibility, cause I created a chat. But if I had seen this at the moment, I would have removed [Bejerano] from the chat. I probably would have even blocked his number.”
The Herald found that Carvajal had deleted 14 messages sent by other participants in the chat and 42 of his own messages before the publication obtained the chat’s logs.
He also participated in some of the racist discussions. While referring to a Black student who allegedly left FIU’s College Republicans after a member of the group “called her a [N-word]”, the Floridian reported that Carvajal wrote: “Why didn’t miggress leave?” Elsewhere in the chat, the publication reported that Carvajal used “Miggress”, “Migglet” and “Migger” to refer to Black women, Black children and Black people, in general.
At one point, Gonzalez wrote: “You can fuck all the [K-word, a slur for Jewish people] you want. Just don’t marry them and procreate.”
Ian Valdes, the Turning Point USA FIU chapter president, responded, “I would def not marry a Jew,” before changing the group chat’s name from “Uber [R-word slur for disabled people] Yapping” to “Gooning in Agartha”. “Gooning” is a gen-Z slang term for male masturbation, while “Agartha” is a mythical white civilization promoted by Heinrich Himmler, one of the most powerful leaders in Nazi Germany next to Hitler.
Gonzalez reportedly described Agartha to the group chat as “Nazi heaven sort of”.
Kevin Cooper, the first Jewish chair of the Miami Dade Republican party, condemned the group chat in a statement published to X and called for Carvajal’s resignation.
“The majority of our board voted to request Carvajal’s resignation. We have commenced removal proceedings and look forward to resolution from the Republican Party of Florida,” he wrote.
That call was echoed by Juan Porras, a Republican state representative and Miami-Dade GOP state committee member, who said in a statement: “Leadership carries responsibility. When someone in a leadership role engages in this kind of behavior, it damages the trust placed in our party by voters across Florida. For that reason, I am asking the Miami Dade Republican party secretary to step down from this position.”
In a joint statement, Florida Republican state senators Alexis Calatayud, Ileana Garcia and Ana Maria Rodriguez denounced the chats and called for the expulsion from party leadership of its participants.
“The individuals in the group chat have exposed how profoundly misaligned their beliefs are to the views of the Republican party of Florida,” their statement said. “We call for the immediate expulsion of the individuals disseminating from any level of leadership of the Miami-Dade Republican Party … We will not tolerate bigotry or discrimination.”
Multiple leaked group chats from young Republicans have created controversy in recent years.
Last year, Politico published messages from a group chat of more than 100 conservatives across the country in which users also made racist and antisemitic comments. In 2022, a Young Republican group chat from North Dakota was revealed as a cesspool of homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric.
Florida
Federal judge blocks DeSantis executive order declaring CAIR a 'terrorist organization'
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
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