HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 1 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to petition process; amending s. 2
15.21, F.S.; conforming a cross -reference; amending s. 3
16.061, F.S.; revising the criteria that the Attorney 4
General uses when petitioning the Supreme Court for an 5
advisory opinion related to a proposed revi sion or 6
amendment to the State Constitution; amending s. 7
97.021, F.S.; deleting the definition of the term 8
"petition circulator"; amending s. 99.092, F.S.; 9
decreasing the percentages used to calculate the 10
filing fees and the amount of party assessment for 11
candidates to public office; requiring the Division of 12
Elections to create a uniform petition form for 13
candidates to gather signatures for a candidate 14
petition; requiring that the form solicit specified 15
information; requiring that the form include a certai n 16
notice; amending s. 99.095, F.S.; authorizing a 17
supervisor of elections to verify certain signatures 18
only if a certain petition form is used; amending s. 19
99.097, F.S.; conforming a cross -reference; amending 20
s. 100.371, F.S.; requiring sponsors of an init iative 21
amendment to register as political committees before 22
circulating any initiative petition forms to voters; 23
deleting obsolete language; requiring the division to 24
assign initiative petitions a petition number and 25
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 2 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
create a certain form; providing requir ements for such 26
form; requiring that the form contain a certain 27
notice; deleting provisions relating to citizen 28
challenges of petition circulator registration; 29
deleting provisions relating to applications for 30
registration of a petition circulator; requirin g the 31
division to adopt rules; deleting provisions requiring 32
certain sponsors to submit signed and dated forms; 33
specifying conditions for signatures on a form to be 34
verified as valid by a supervisor; requiring the 35
supervisor to retain signed petition forms instead of 36
signature forms in a specified manner; requiring the 37
supervisor to transmit copies of such signed petition 38
forms promptly to the division upon request; requiring 39
the supervisors of elections to post the actual cost 40
of signature verification on their websites annually 41
on a specified date; specifying that such costs 42
include costs related to certain actions; requiring 43
the Secretary of State to rescind a certificate of 44
ballot position under specified conditions; 45
authorizing any voter to challenge th e issuance of 46
certificates of ballot position; providing the process 47
for such challenges; requiring the Secretary of State 48
to submit a copy of initiative petitions to a 49
specified panel; requiring the panel to complete a 50
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 3 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
financial impact statement; requirin g the panel to 51
submit such statement to the Secretary of State; 52
providing that the panel is not required to complete 53
the statement under specified circumstances; deleting 54
obsolete language; requiring that meetings of the 55
panel be open to the public; requir ing that the panel 56
submit the financial impact statement to the Secretary 57
of State immediately; authorizing the panel to redraft 58
the statement within a specified timeframe; requiring 59
the disclosure of certain material legal effects; 60
conforming cross-references; requiring the panel to 61
draft a certain initiative financial information 62
statement; requiring the Secretary of State to make 63
such statement available on his or her website; 64
creating s. 100.373, F.S.; defining the term 65
"circulated petition form"; autho rizing voters to 66
submit signed circulated petition forms at any office 67
of the supervisor of elections in the county in which 68
the voter is registered to vote; providing that a 69
circulated petition form is valid only if the 70
supervisor verifies specified infor mation; requiring a 71
voter to present a certain current and valid form of 72
picture identification to the supervisor; requiring 73
the supervisor to deem the petition submitted if the 74
information on such identification matches the form 75
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 4 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
and the person matches the identification produced; 76
requiring supervisors to verify that the voter's 77
signature on the circulated petition form matches the 78
voter's signature on file in the Florida Voter 79
Registration System; creating s. 100.375, F.S.; 80
defining the term "requested pet ition form"; requiring 81
supervisors to accept requests for a petition form 82
from a voter or, if instructed, the voter's immediate 83
family or legal guardian; authorizing that requests be 84
made in person, in writing, by telephone, or through 85
the supervisor's web site; requiring supervisors to 86
cancel requests under specified conditions; 87
authorizing that requests for petition forms may be 88
mailed to certain addresses; requiring the voter, or 89
his or her designee, to provide certain information 90
for in-person or telephonic requests; requiring that 91
requests be in writing if the petition form is to be 92
mailed to an address other than one on file; providing 93
requirements for such written requests; requiring the 94
division to create a uniform application to request 95
petition forms; requiring that such applications 96
solicit and require specified information; defining 97
the term "immediate family"; requiring the supervisor 98
to record certain information and provide it in a 99
specified format; defining the term "petition 100
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 5 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
deadline"; requiring the supervisor to mail petition 101
forms within specified timeframes; providing a 102
deadline to request petition forms; requiring 103
supervisors to provide a petition form by one of the 104
means specified; prohibiting persons from picking up 105
more than a specified number of petition forms; 106
providing exceptions; requiring the supervisor to mail 107
a certain notice in a specified circumstance; 108
providing that only the materials necessary to submit 109
a petition form be mailed or delivered; prohibiting a 110
supervisor from sendi ng a petition form to someone who 111
did not request one; requiring the supervisor to 112
enclose a certain mailing envelope with petition 113
forms; requiring that such envelopes contain a certain 114
voter's certificate; specifying the placement of the 115
voter's certificate on the envelope; requiring that 116
certain instructions be enclosed with each petition; 117
providing construction; providing legislative intent; 118
requiring the Department of State to work with 119
specified entitles to develop and implement procedures 120
and technologies to make petition forms available in 121
alternative formats; providing that requested petition 122
forms are only valid if the supervisor verifies 123
certain information; prohibiting an otherwise valid 124
petition from being invalidated due to the voter's 125
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 6 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
death after submission of such form; creating s. 126
100.377, F.S.; authorizing that initiative petition 127
forms approved by the Secretary of State may continue 128
to be circulated; providing that certain initiative 129
petitions or candidate petitions may be kept and 130
counted under specified conditions; providing 131
applicability; amending s. 101.161, F.S.; requiring 132
that constitutional amendments define all terms of art 133
and describe newly created rights, requirements, 134
prohibitions, and authorizations; amending the 135
inclusions on the ballot for every constitutional 136
amendment proposed by initiative to conform to changes 137
made by the act; conforming a cross -reference; 138
amending s. 104.045, F.S.; providing criminal 139
penalties for a person who submits a petition form or 140
refrains from submitting a petition form for any 141
initiative or candidate petition due to a corrupt 142
offer or the acceptance of a pecuniary or other 143
benefit; repealing s. 104.186, F.S., relating to 144
initiative petition circulators and violations 145
imposed; creating s. 106.031, F. S.; defining terms; 146
requiring certain political committees and donors and 147
entities to comply with specified provisions; 148
requiring that a statement of organization include a 149
certain attestation; requiring that specified reports 150
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 7 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
have a certain affirmation; r equiring specified 151
persons to keep a certain record for a specified 152
timeframe; providing criminal penalties for a person 153
who fails to retain the record for such timeframe; 154
requiring that certain reports include a certain 155
attestation; requiring certain dono rs and entities to 156
make a certain attestation to the Division of 157
Elections within a specified timeframe; providing 158
criminal penalties for a person who fails to make such 159
attestation or makes a false attestation; providing 160
criminal penalties for political c ommittees that 161
willfully submit certain statements or reports known 162
to be incorrect, false, or incomplete; providing that 163
civil penalties be imposed by the Florida Elections 164
Commission for violations of specified provisions; 165
authorizing the Attorney Genera l to investigate, act 166
upon, or dispose certain violations; authorizing 167
criminal proceedings in a court of competent 168
jurisdiction; authorizing treble penalties; requiring 169
the division to adopt rules; amending s. 106.08, F.S.; 170
providing criminal penalties fo r foreign nationals who 171
make or offer to make certain contributions, foreign 172
nationals who direct, dictate, or control any person 173
to influence a citizen initiative by petition, certain 174
political committees that knowingly solicit or accept 175
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 8 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
expenditures from foreign nationals, or a foreign 176
national who willfully violates specified provisions; 177
authorizing the Attorney General to investigate, act 178
upon, or dispose certain violations; authorizing 179
criminal proceedings in a court of competent 180
jurisdiction; authoriz ing treble penalties; amending 181
s. 106.19, F.S.; deleting a provision relating to 182
violations by political committees for using petition 183
circulators; amending s. 212.055, F.S.; conforming a 184
cross-reference; providing for severability; providing 185
a directive to the Division of Law Revision; providing 186
an effective date. 187
188
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 189
190
Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 15.21, Florida 191
Statutes, is amended to read: 192
15.21 Initiative petitions; s. 3, Art. XI , State 193
Constitution.— 194
(2) If the Secretary of State has submitted an initiative 195
petition to the Attorney General pursuant to subsection (1) but 196
the validity of the signatures for such initiative petition has 197
expired pursuant to s. 100.371(6)(a) s. 100.371(11)(a) before 198
securing ballot placement, the Secretary of State must promptly 199
notify the Attorney General. The Secretary of State may resubmit 200
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 9 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
the initiative petition to the Attorney General if the 201
initiative petition is later circulated for placement o n the 202
ballot of a subsequent general election and the criteria under 203
subsection (1) are satisfied. 204
Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 16.061, Florida 205
Statutes, is amended to read: 206
16.061 Initiative petitions. — 207
(1) The Attorney General shall, with in 30 days after 208
receipt of a proposed revision or amendment to the State 209
Constitution by initiative petition from the Secretary of State, 210
petition the Supreme Court, requesting an advisory opinion 211
regarding the compliance of the text of the proposed amend ment 212
or revision with s. 2, Art. I and s. 3, Art. XI of the State 213
Constitution, whether the proposed amendment is facially invalid 214
under the United States Constitution, the compliance of the text 215
of the proposed constitutional amendment or revision with s. 216
101.161, and the compliance of the proposed ballot title and 217
substance with s. 101.161. The petition may enumerate any 218
specific factual issues that the Attorney General believes would 219
require a judicial determination. 220
Section 3. Subsection (28) of sec tion 97.021, Florida 221
Statutes, is amended to read: 222
97.021 Definitions. —For the purposes of this code, except 223
where the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term: 224
(28) "Petition circulator" means an entity or individual 225
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 10 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
who collects signatures for c ompensation for the purpose of 226
qualifying a proposed constitutional amendment for ballot 227
placement. 228
Section 4. Section 99.092, Florida Statutes, is amended to 229
read: 230
99.092 Qualifying fee of candidate; notification of 231
Department of State. — 232
(1) Each person seeking to qualify for nomination or 233
election to any office, except a person seeking to qualify by 234
the petition process pursuant to s. 99.095 and except a person 235
seeking to qualify as a write -in candidate, shall pay a 236
qualifying fee, which shall con sist of a filing fee and election 237
assessment, to the officer with whom the person qualifies, and 238
any party assessment levied, and shall attach the original or 239
signed duplicate of the receipt for his or her party assessment 240
or pay the same, in accordance wi th the provisions of s. 241
103.121, at the time of filing his or her other qualifying 242
papers. The amount of the filing fee is 1 3 percent of the 243
annual salary of the office. The amount of the election 244
assessment is 1 percent of the annual salary of the office 245
sought. The election assessment shall be transferred to the 246
Elections Commission Trust Fund. The amount of the party 247
assessment is 1 2 percent of the annual salary. The annual 248
salary of the office for purposes of computing the filing fee, 249
election assessment, and party assessment shall be computed by 250
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 11 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
multiplying 12 times the monthly salary, excluding any special 251
qualification pay, authorized for such office as of July 1 252
immediately preceding the first day of qualifying. No qualifying 253
fee shall be returned to the candidate unless the candidate 254
withdraws his or her candidacy before the last date to qualify. 255
If a candidate dies prior to an election and has not withdrawn 256
his or her candidacy before the last date to qualify, the 257
candidate's qualifying fee shall be returned to his or her 258
designated beneficiary, and, if the filing fee or any portion 259
thereof has been transferred to the political party of the 260
candidate, the Secretary of State shall direct the party to 261
return that portion to the designated beneficiary of the 262
candidate. 263
(2) The supervisor of elections shall, immediately after 264
the last day for qualifying, submit to the Department of State a 265
list containing the names, party affiliations, and addresses of 266
all candidates and the offices for which they qua lified. 267
(3)(a) The division shall create a uniform petition form 268
on which signatures for a candidate petition will be affixed. 269
The form must solicit and require all of the following 270
information: 271
1. The full name of the voter. 272
2. The voter's residential address and county. 273
3. The voter's voter registration number or date of birth. 274
4. The voter's Florida driver license number, the voter's 275
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 12 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Florida identification card number, or the last four digits of 276
the voter's social security number. 277
5. An attestation that the voter is a registered voter in 278
this state and is petitioning the Secretary of State to place 279
the candidate's name on the ballot. 280
6. The voter's signature and the date signed. 281
7. The candidate's name and party information and th e 282
title of the office sought by the candidate. 283
(b) The petition form must include a notice stating that 284
the form becomes public record upon receipt by the supervisor of 285
elections; that it is a first degree misdemeanor to knowingly 286
sign the same candidate petition more than once; and that the 287
form may not be validated if all requested information is not 288
provided. 289
Section 5. Subsection (3) of section 99.095, Florida 290
Statutes, is amended to read: 291
99.095 Petition process in lieu of a qualifying fee and 292
party assessment.— 293
(3) Each petition must be submitted before noon of the 294
28th day preceding the first day of the qualifying period for 295
the office sought to the supervisor of elections of the county 296
in which such petition was circulated. Each supervisor shall 297
check the signatures on the petitions to verify their status as 298
voters in the county, district, or other geographical area 299
represented by the office sought. The supervisor may verify that 300
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 13 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
the signature on a form is valid only if the petition form is a 301
circulated petition form properly verified pursuant to s. 302
100.373 or a requested petition form properly verified pursuant 303
to s. 100.375. No later than the 7th day before the first day of 304
the qualifying period, the supervisor shall certify the number 305
of valid signatures. 306
Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 307
99.097, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 308
99.097 Verification of signatures on petitions. — 309
(4)(a) The supervisor must be paid in advance the sum of 310
10 cents for each signatu re checked or the actual cost of 311
checking such signature, whichever is less, by the candidate or, 312
in the case of a petition to have a local issue placed on the 313
ballot, by the person or organization submitting the petition. 314
In the case of a petition to plac e a statewide issue on the 315
ballot, the person or organization submitting the petition must 316
pay the supervisor in advance the cost posted by the supervisor 317
pursuant to s. 100.371(6) s. 100.371(11) for the actual cost of 318
checking signatures to place a statew ide issue on the ballot. 319
Section 7. Section 100.371, Florida Statutes, is amended 320
to read: 321
100.371 Initiatives; procedure for placement on ballot. — 322
(1) Constitutional amendments proposed by initiative shall 323
be placed on the ballot for the general e lection, provided the 324
initiative petition has been filed with the Secretary of State 325
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 14 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
no later than February 1 of the year the general election is 326
held. A petition shall be deemed to be filed with the Secretary 327
of State upon the date the secretary determine s that valid and 328
verified petition forms have been signed by the constitutionally 329
required number and distribution of electors under this code. 330
(2) The sponsor of an initiative amendment shall, before 331
circulating any initiative petition forms to voters prior to 332
obtaining any signatures , register as a political committee 333
pursuant to s. 106.03 and submit the text of the proposed 334
amendment to the Secretary of State , with the form on which the 335
signatures will be affixed, and shall obtain the approval of the 336
Secretary of State of such form. The Secretary of State shall 337
adopt rules pursuant to s. 120.54 prescribing the style and 338
requirements of such form . Upon filing with the Secretary of 339
State, the text of the proposed amendment and all forms filed in 340
connection with this section must, upon request, be made 341
available in alternative formats. 342
(3)(a) The division shall assign the initiative petition a 343
petition number and create the form on which signatures for the 344
initiative petition must be affixed. The petition form must 345
prominently display the petition number, the ballot title, and 346
the full text of the proposed amendment; must contain the date 347
approved by the Secretary of State, a barcode associated with 348
the initiative petition, and a serial number; and must so licit 349
and require all of the following information: 350
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 15 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
1. The full name of the voter. 351
2. The voter's residential address and county. 352
3. The voter's voter registration number or date of birth. 353
4. The voter's Florida driver license number or Florida 354
identification card number, or the last four digits of the 355
voter's social security number. 356
5. An attestation that the voter is a registered Florida 357
voter and is petitioning the Secretary of State to place the 358
proposed amendment on the ballot. 359
6. The voter's signature and the date signed A person may 360
not collect signatures or initiative petitions for compensation 361
unless the person is registered as a petition circulator with 362
the Secretary of State . 363
(b) The petition form must include a notice that states 364
that the form becomes public record upon receipt by the 365
supervisor; that it is a first degree misdemeanor to knowingly 366
sign the same initiative petition more than once; and that the 367
form may not be validated if all requested information is not 368
provided A citizen may challenge a petition circulator's 369
registration under this section by filing a petition in circuit 370
court. If the court finds that the respondent is not a 371
registered petition circulator, the court may enjoin the 372
respondent from collecting signatu res or initiative petitions 373
for compensation until she or he is lawfully registered. 374
(4) An application for registration must be submitted in 375
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 16 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
the format required by the Secretary of State and must include 376
the following: 377
(a) The information required to be on the petition form 378
under s. 101.161, including the ballot summary and title as 379
approved by the Secretary of State. 380
(b) The applicant's name, permanent address, temporary 381
address, if applicable, and date of birth. 382
(c) An address in this state at which the applicant will 383
accept service of process related to disputes concerning the 384
petition process, if the applicant is not a resident of this 385
state. 386
(d) A statement that the applicant consents to the 387
jurisdiction of the courts of this state in resol ving disputes 388
concerning the petition process. 389
(e) Any information required by the Secretary of State to 390
verify the applicant's identity or address. 391
(5) All petitions collected by a petition circulator must 392
contain, in a format required by the Secretar y of State, a 393
completed Petition Circulator's Affidavit which includes: 394
(a) The circulator's name and permanent address; 395
(b) The following statement, which must be signed by the 396
circulator: 397
398
By my signature below, as petition circulator, I 399
verify that the petition was signed in my presence. 400
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 17 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have read 401
the foregoing Petition Circulator's Affidavit and the 402
facts stated in it are true. 403
404
(6) The division or the supervisor of elections shall make 405
hard copy petition forms or electronic portable document format 406
petition forms available to registered petition circulators. All 407
such forms must contain information identifying the petition 408
circulator to which the forms are provided. The division shall 409
maintain a database of all registered petition circulators and 410
the petition forms assigned to each. Each supervisor of 411
elections shall provide to the division information on petition 412
forms assigned to and received from petition circulators. The 413
information must be provided i n a format and at times as 414
required by the division by rule. The division must update 415
information on petition forms daily and make the information 416
publicly available. 417
(7)(a) A sponsor that collects petition forms or uses a 418
petition circulator to collect petition forms serves as a 419
fiduciary to the elector signing the petition form, ensuring 420
that any petition form entrusted to the petition circulator 421
shall be promptly delivered to the supervisor of elections 422
within 30 days after the elector signs the form. If a petition 423
form collected by any petition circulator is not promptly 424
delivered to the supervisor of elections, the sponsor is liable 425
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 18 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
for the following fines: 426
1. A fine in the amount of $50 for each petition form 427
received by the supervisor of elections more than 30 days after 428
the elector signed the petition form or the next business day, 429
if the office is closed. A fine in the amount of $250 for each 430
petition form received if the sponsor or petition circulator 431
acted willfully. 432
2. A fine in the amount o f $500 for each petition form 433
collected by a petition circulator which is not submitted to the 434
supervisor of elections. A fine in the amount of $1,000 for any 435
petition form not submitted if the sponsor or petition 436
circulator acted willfully. 437
(b) A showing by the sponsor that the failure to deliver 438
the petition form within the required timeframe is based upon 439
force majeure or impossibility of performance is an affirmative 440
defense to a violation of this subsection. The fines described 441
in this subsection may be waived upon a showing that the failure 442
to deliver the petition form promptly is based upon force 443
majeure or impossibility of performance. 444
(8) If the Secretary of State reasonably believes that a 445
person or entity has committed a violation of this sect ion, the 446
secretary may refer the matter to the Attorney General for 447
enforcement. The Attorney General may institute a civil action 448
for a violation of this section or to prevent a violation of 449
this section. An action for relief may include a permanent or 450
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 19 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
temporary injunction, a restraining order, or any other 451
appropriate order. 452
(5)(9) The division shall adopt by rule a complaint form 453
for an elector who claims to have had his or her signature 454
misrepresented or, forged, or not delivered to the supervisor . 455
The division shall also adopt rules to ensure the integrity of 456
the petition form gathering process , including rules requiring 457
sponsors to account for all petition forms used by their agents. 458
Such rules may require a sponsor or petition circulator to 459
provide identification information on each petition form as 460
determined by the department as needed to assist in the 461
accounting of petition forms . 462
(10) The date on which an elector signs a petition form is 463
presumed to be the date on which the petition circulator 464
received or collected the petition form. 465
(6)(a)(11)(a) An initiative petition form circulated for 466
signature may not be bundled with or attached to any other 467
petition. Each signature shall be dated when made and shall be 468
valid until the next February 1 oc curring in an even-numbered 469
year for the purpose of the amendment appearing on the ballot 470
for the general election occurring in that same year, provided 471
all other requirements of law are met. The sponsor shall submit 472
signed and dated forms to the superviso r of elections for the 473
county of residence listed by the person signing the form for 474
verification of the number of valid signatures obtained. If a 475
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 20 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
signature on a petition is from a registered voter in another 476
county, the supervisor shall notify the petitio n sponsor of the 477
misfiled petition. The supervisor shall promptly verify the 478
signatures within 60 days after receipt of the petition forms 479
and payment of a fee for the actual cost of signature 480
verification incurred by the supervisor. However, for petition 481
forms submitted less than 60 days before February 1 of an even -482
numbered year, the supervisor shall promptly verify the 483
signatures within 30 days after receipt of the form and payment 484
of the fee for signature verification. The supervisor shall 485
promptly record, in the manner prescribed by the Secretary of 486
State, the date each form is received by the supervisor, and the 487
date the signature on the form is verified as valid. The 488
supervisor may verify that the signature on a form is valid only 489
if: 490
1. The petition form is a circulated petition form 491
properly verified pursuant to s. 100.373; or The form contains 492
the original signature of the purported elector. 493
2. The petition form is a requested petition form properly 494
verified pursuant to s. 100.375 The purported elector has 495
accurately recorded on the form the date on which he or she 496
signed the form. 497
3. The form sets forth the purported elector's name, 498
address, city, county, and voter registration number or date of 499
birth. 500
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 21 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
4. The purported elector is, at the tim e he or she signs 501
the form and at the time the form is verified, a duly qualified 502
and registered elector in the state. 503
5. The signature was obtained legally, including that if a 504
paid petition circulator was used, the circulator was validly 505
registered under subsection (3) when the signature was obtained. 506
507
The supervisor shall retain all signed petition signature forms, 508
separating forms verified as valid from those deemed invalid, 509
for at least 1 year following the election for which the 510
petition was circula ted. Notwithstanding any other law, the 511
supervisor shall promptly transmit copies of signed petition 512
forms to the division upon request. 513
(b) Each supervisor shall post the actual cost of 514
signature verification on his or her website and may increase 515
such cost, as necessary, annually on March 1 February 2 of each 516
even-numbered year. The cost includes, but is not limited to, 517
costs incurred processing and fulfilling requests, comparing 518
signatures, and validating information on circulated and 519
requested petition forms pursuant to ss. 100.373 and 100.375, 520
respectively. The division shall also publish each county's 521
current cost on its website. The division and each supervisor 522
shall biennially review available technology aimed at reducing 523
verification costs. 524
(c) On the last day of each month, or on the last day of 525
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 22 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
each week from December 1 of an odd -numbered year through 526
February 1 of the following year, each supervisor shall post on 527
his or her website the total number of signatures submitted, the 528
total number of invalid signatures, the total number of 529
signatures processed, and the aggregate number of verified valid 530
signatures and the distribution of such signatures by 531
congressional district for each proposed amendment proposed by 532
initiative, along with the following information specific to the 533
reporting period: the total number of signed petition forms 534
received, the total number of signatures verified, the 535
distribution of verified valid signatures by congressional 536
district, and the total number of verified p etition forms 537
forwarded to the Secretary of State. 538
(7)(a)(12) The Secretary of State shall determine from the 539
signatures verified by the supervisors of elections the total 540
number of verified valid signatures and the distribution of such 541
signatures by congressional districts, and the division shall 542
post such information on its website at the same intervals 543
specified in paragraph (6)(c) (11)(c). Upon a determination that 544
the requisite number and distribution of valid signatures have 545
been obtained, the secretary shall issue a certificate of ballot 546
position for that pro posed amendment and shall assign a 547
designating number pursuant to s. 101.161. The Secretary of 548
State shall rescind the certificate of ballot position if: 549
1. An advisory opinion issued by the Supreme Court 550
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 23 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
pursuant to s. 3(b)(10), Art. V of the State Cons titution deems 551
the initiative petition invalid; or 552
2. The Secretary of State determines, before August 1 of 553
the year the general election is held, that the initiative 554
petition did not obtain the requisite number or distribution of 555
valid signatures. 556
(b) The issuance of a certificate of ballot position 557
pursuant to paragraph (a) may be contested in the circuit court 558
by any voter. The contestant must file a complaint with the 559
clerk of the circuit court for Leon County no later than the 560
first Tuesday after t he first Monday in January after the 561
election for which the petition was circulated. The complaint 562
must set forth the grounds on which the contestant intends to 563
establish that the initiative petition did not obtain the 564
requisite number or distribution of v alid signatures. 565
(8)(a)(13)(a) At the same time the Secretary of State 566
submits an initiative petition to the Attorney General pursuant 567
to s. 15.21, the secretary shall submit a copy of the initiative 568
petition to a panel composed of three persons appointe d by the 569
Governor the Financial Impact Estimating Conference . Within 75 570
days after receipt of a proposed revision or amendment to the 571
State Constitution by initiative petition from the Secretary of 572
State, the panel Financial Impact Estimating Conference shall 573
complete a statement on the an analysis and financial impact to 574
the state budget statement to be placed on the ballot of the 575
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 24 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
estimated increase or decrease in any revenues or costs to state 576
or local governments and the overall impact to the state budge t 577
resulting from the proposed initiative . The 75-day time limit is 578
tolled when the Legislature is in session. The panel Financial 579
Impact Estimating Conference shall submit the financial impact 580
statement to the Attorney General and Secretary of State. If th e 581
initiative petition has been submitted to the panel Financial 582
Impact Estimating Conference but the validity of signatures has 583
expired and the initiative petition no longer qualifies for 584
ballot placement at the ensuing general election, the Secretary 585
of State must notify the panel Financial Impact Estimating 586
Conference. The panel Financial Impact Estimating Conference is 587
not required to complete a an analysis and financial impact 588
statement for an initiative petition that fails to meet the 589
requirements of subsection (1) for placement on the ballot 590
before the 75-day time limit, including any tolling period, 591
expires. The initiative petition may be resubmitted to the panel 592
Financial Impact Estimating Conference if the initiative 593
petition meets the requisite cri teria for a subsequent general 594
election cycle. A new Financial Impact Estimating Conference 595
shall be established at such time as the initiative petition 596
again satisfies the criteria in s. 15.21(1). 597
(b) Immediately upon receipt of a proposed revision or 598
amendment from the Secretary of State, the coordinator of the 599
Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall contact the 600
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 25 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
person identified as the sponsor to request an official list of 601
all persons authorized to speak on behalf of the named sponsor 602
and, if there is one, the sponsoring organization at meetings 603
held by the Financial Impact Estimating Conference. All other 604
persons shall be deemed interested parties or proponents or 605
opponents of the initiative. The Financial Impact Estimating 606
Conference shall provide an opportunity for any representatives 607
of the sponsor, interested parties, proponents, or opponents of 608
the initiative to submit information and may solicit information 609
or analysis from any other entities or agencies, including the 610
Office of Economic and Demographic Research. 611
(c) All meetings of the panel Financial Impact Estimating 612
Conference shall be open to the public. The panel shall prepare 613
The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 614
Representatives, jointly, shall be the sole judge for the 615
interpretation, implementation, and enforcement of this 616
subsection. 617
1. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference is 618
established to review, analyze, and estimate the financial 619
impact of amendments to or revisions of the State Constitution 620
proposed by initiative. The Financial Impact Estimating 621
Conference shall consist of four principals: one person from the 622
Executive Office of the Governor; the coordinator of the Office 623
of Economic and Demographic Research, or his or her designee; 624
one person from the professional staff of the Senate; and one 625
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 26 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
person from the professional staff of the House of 626
Representatives. Each principal shall have appropriate fiscal 627
expertise in the subject matter of the initiative. A Financial 628
Impact Estimating Conference may be appointed for each 629
initiative. 630
2. Principals of the Financial Impact Estimating 631
Conference shall reach a consensus or majority concurrence on a 632
clear and unambiguous financial impact statement, no more than 633
150 words in length, and immediately su bmit the statement to the 634
Secretary of State Attorney General. Nothing in this subsection 635
prohibits the panel Financial Impact Estimating Conference from 636
setting forth a range of potential impacts in the financial 637
impact statement. Any financial impact statement that a court 638
finds not to be in accordance with this section shall be 639
remanded solely to the Financial Impact Estimating Conference 640
for redrafting. The panel may Financial Impact Estimating 641
Conference shall redraft the financial impact statement before 642
the 75th day before the election within 15 days. 643
3. If the Supreme Court has rejected the initial 644
submission by the Financial Impact Estimating Conference and no 645
redraft has been approved by the Supreme Court by 5 p.m. on the 646
75th day before the e lection, the following statement shall 647
appear on the ballot: "The impact of this measure, if any, has 648
not been determined at this time." 649
(c)(d) The financial impact statement must be separately 650
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 27 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
contained and be set forth after the ballot summary and 651
disclosure of material legal effects as required in s. 652
101.161(1). 653
1. If the financial impact statement projects a net 654
negative impact on the state budget, the ballot must include the 655
statement required by s. 101.161(1)(c) s. 101.161(1)(b). 656
2. If the financial impact statement projects a net 657
positive impact on the state budget, the ballot must include the 658
statement required by s. 101.161(1)(d) s. 101.161(1)(c). 659
3. If the financial impact statement estimates an 660
indeterminate financial impact or if the memb ers of the panel 661
Financial Impact Estimating Conference are unable to agree on 662
the statement required by this subsection, the ballot must 663
include the statement required by s. 101.161(1)(e) s. 664
101.161(1)(d). 665
(d)1.(e)1. Any financial impact statement that the Supreme 666
Court finds not to be in accordance with this subsection shall 667
be remanded solely to the Financial Impact Estimating Conference 668
for redrafting, provided the court's advisory opinion is 669
rendered at least 75 days before the election at which the 670
question of ratifying the amendment will be presented. The 671
Financial Impact Estimating Conference shall prepare and adopt a 672
revised financial impact statement no later than 5 p.m. on the 673
15th day after the date of the court's opinion. 674
2. If, by 5 p.m. on the 75th day before the election, the 675
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 28 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Supreme Court has not issued an advisory opinion on the initial 676
financial impact statement prepared by the Financial Impact 677
Estimating Conference for an initiative amendment that otherwise 678
meets the legal requirements for ballot placement, the financial 679
impact statement shall be deemed approved for placement on the 680
ballot. 681
3. In addition to the financial impact statement required 682
by this subsection, the panel Financial Impact Estimating 683
Conference shall draft an initiative financial information 684
statement. The initiative financial information statement should 685
describe in greater detail than the financial impact statement 686
any projected increase or decrease in revenues or costs that the 687
state or local governments would l ikely experience if the ballot 688
measure were approved. If appropriate, the initiative financial 689
information statement may include both estimated dollar amounts 690
and a description placing the estimated dollar amounts into 691
context. The initiative financial inf ormation statement must 692
include both a summary of not more than 500 words and additional 693
detailed information that includes the assumptions that were 694
made to develop the financial impacts, workpapers, and any other 695
information deemed relevant by the Financ ial Impact Estimating 696
Conference. 697
2.4. The Department of State shall have printed, and shall 698
furnish to each supervisor of elections, a copy of the summary 699
from the initiative financial information statements. The 700
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 29 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
supervisors shall have the summary from the initiative financial 701
information statements available at each polling place and at 702
the main office of the supervisor of elections upon request. 703
3.5. The Secretary of State and the Office of Economic and 704
Demographic Research shall make available on th e Internet each 705
initiative financial information statement in its entirety. In 706
addition, each supervisor of elections whose office has a 707
website shall post the summary from each initiative financial 708
information statement on the website. Each supervisor sha ll 709
include a copy of each summary from the initiative financial 710
information statements and the Internet addresses for the 711
information statements on the Secretary of State's website and 712
the Office of Economic and Demographic Research's websites in 713
the publication or mailing required by s. 101.20. 714
(9)(14) The Department of State may adopt rules in 715
accordance with s. 120.54 to carry out the provisions of 716
subsections (1)-(8) (1)-(14). 717
(10)(15) No provision of this code shall be deemed to 718
prohibit a private person exercising lawful control over 719
privately owned property, including property held open to the 720
public for the purposes of a commercial enterprise, from 721
excluding from such property persons seeking to engage in 722
activity supporting or opposing initiativ e amendments. 723
Section 8. Section 100.373, Florida Statutes, is created 724
to read: 725
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 30 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
100.373 Circulated petition forms; verification. — 726
(1) For the purposes of this chapter, the term "circulated 727
petition form" means an initiative petition form circulated 728
pursuant to s. 100.371, or a candidate petition form circulated 729
pursuant to s. 99.095, which has not been requested pursuant to 730
s. 100.375. 731
(2) A voter may submit a signed circulated petition form 732
at any supervisor of elections office located within the county 733
in which the voter is registered to vote. A circulated petition 734
form is valid only if the supervisor verifies that: 735
(a) The voter presenting the circulated petition form is 736
identified and his or her signature is verified pursuant to 737
subsection (3); 738
(b) The voter accurately recorded on the form the date on 739
which he or she signed the form; 740
(c) The form accurately sets forth the voter's name, 741
address, city, county, and voter registration number or date of 742
birth; 743
(d) The form accurately sets for th the voter's driver 744
license number, the voter's Florida identification card number, 745
or the last four digits of the voter's social security number; 746
and 747
(e) The voter is, at the time he or she signs the form and 748
at the time the form is verified, an active and duly qualified 749
and registered voter in this state. 750
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 31 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(3)(a) The supervisor shall require the voter to present 751
one of the following forms of current and valid picture 752
identification: 753
1. Florida driver license. 754
2. Florida identification card i ssued by the Department of 755
Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. 756
3. United States passport. 757
4. United States Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine 758
identification. 759
5. Veteran health identification card issued by the United 760
States Department of Veterans A ffairs. 761
6. License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued 762
pursuant to s. 790.06. 763
7. Employee identification card issued by any branch, 764
department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the 765
state, a county, or a municipality. 766
(b) If the information on the picture identification 767
matches the information on the circulated petition form and the 768
supervisor is satisfied that the person presenting the 769
circulated petition form is the person shown on the picture 770
identification, the supervisor must deem the petition form 771
submitted. The supervisor shall then verify that the signature 772
on the circulated petition form matches a signature on file for 773
the voter in the Florida Voter Registration System. 774
Section 9. Section 100.375, Florida Statutes, is created 775
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 32 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
to read: 776
100.375 Requested petition forms; verification. — 777
(1) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this chapter, the term 778
"requested petition form" means an initiative petition form 779
created pursuant to s. 100.371, or a candidate petition form 780
created pursuant to s. 99.095, which is requested pursuant to 781
this section. 782
(2) REQUEST.— 783
(a) A supervisor shall accept a request for a petition 784
form only from a voter or, if directly instructed by the voter, 785
a member of the voter's immediate family or the voter 's legal 786
guardian. A request may be made in person, in writing, by 787
telephone, or through the supervisor's website. The supervisor 788
shall cancel a request for a petition form when any first -class 789
mail or nonforwardable mail sent by the supervisor to the vote r 790
is returned as undeliverable. If the voter requests a petition 791
form thereafter, the voter must provide or confirm his or her 792
current residential address. 793
(b) The supervisor may accept a request for a petition 794
form to be mailed to a voter's address on f ile in the Florida 795
Voter Registration System from the voter, or, if directly 796
instructed by the voter, from a member of the voter's immediate 797
family or the voter's legal guardian. If an in -person or a 798
telephonic request is made, the voter must provide the v oter's 799
Florida driver license number, the voter's Florida 800
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 33 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
identification card number, or the last 4 digits of the voter's 801
social security number. If the petition form is requested to be 802
mailed to an address other than the voter's address on file in 803
the Florida Voter Registration System, the request must be made 804
in writing. A written request must be signed by the voter and 805
include the voter's Florida driver license number, the voter's 806
Florida identification card number, or the last 4 digits of the 807
voter's social security number. The division shall create a 808
uniform application to request a candidate or initiative 809
petition form. The application must solicit and require the 810
following information: 811
1. The full name of the voter for whom the petition form 812
is requested; 813
2. The voter's residential address and county and the 814
voter's mailing address if different than the voter's 815
residential address; 816
3. The voter's voter registration number or date of birth; 817
4. The voter's Florida driver license number, the voter 's 818
Florida identification card number, or last 4 digits of the 819
voter's social security number; 820
5. The requester's name, if applicable; 821
6. The requester's residential address, if applicable; 822
7. The requester's Florida driver license number, the 823
requester's Florida identification card number, or the last 4 824
digits of the requester's social security number, if applicable; 825
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 34 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
8. The requester's relationship to the voter, if 826
applicable; 827
9. An affidavit stating that the requester is authorized 828
by the voter to request a petition form on the voter's behalf, 829
if applicable; 830
10. The voter's signature and the date signed or the 831
requester's signature and the date signed; and 832
11. If the petition form requested is for an initiative 833
petition, the ballot title and initiative petition number 834
assigned by the division. 835
(c) For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate 836
family" refers to the following, as applicable: 837
1. The voter's spouse, parent, child, grandparent, 838
grandchild, or sibling, or the parent, chi ld, grandparent, 839
grandchild, or sibling of the voter's spouse. 840
2. The designee's spouse, parent, child, grandparent, 841
grandchild, or sibling, or the parent, child, grandparent, 842
grandchild, or sibling of the designee's spouse. 843
(3) PETITION FORM REQUEST INFORMATION.—For each request 844
for a petition form received, the supervisor shall record the 845
following information and provide such information in an 846
electronic format as required by division rule: 847
(a) The date the request was made; 848
(b) The initiative p etition number, if any; 849
(c) The identity of the voter's designee making the 850
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 35 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
request, if applicable; 851
(d) The voter's Florida driver license number, voter's 852
Florida identification card number, or last 4 digits of the 853
voter's social security number provid ed with a written request; 854
(e) The date the petition form was delivered to the voter 855
or the voter's designee or the date the petition form was 856
delivered to the post office or other carrier; 857
(f) The address to which the petition form was mailed or 858
the identity of the voter's designee to whom the petition form 859
was delivered, if applicable; 860
(g) The date the petition form was received by the 861
supervisor; 862
(h) The absence of the voter's signature and the Voter's 863
Certificate, if applicable; 864
(i) Whether the Voter's Certificate contains a signature 865
that does not match a signature on file for the voter in the 866
Florida Voter Registration System; and 867
(j) Any other information the supervisor deems necessary. 868
(4) DELIVERY OF PETITION FORMS. — 869
(a) For the purposes of this section, the term "petition 870
deadline" means: 871
1. In the case of an initiative petition, the 30th day 872
preceding February 1 of the year the general election is held. 873
2. In the case of a candidate petition, the 28th day 874
preceding the first day of the qualifying period for the office 875
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 36 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
sought. 876
(b) The supervisor shall mail petition forms within 5 877
business days after receiving a request for such forms. However, 878
the supervisor shall mail petition forms that are requested 879
pursuant to this section on or before July 1, 2025, and no later 880
than July 5, 2025. 881
(c) The deadline to submit a request for a petition form 882
to be mailed is 5 p.m. local time on the 10th day before the 883
petition deadline. 884
(d) Upon request for a petition form, the supervisor shall 885
provide a petition form to each voter who has made a request for 886
such petition form, by one of the following means: 887
1. By nonforwardable, return -if-undeliverable mail to the 888
voter's current mailing address on file with the supervisor or 889
any other address the voter specifies in the request. The 890
envelopes must be prominently marked "Do Not Forward." 891
2. By personal delivery to the voter up to 5 p.m. on the 892
third day before the p etition deadline upon presentation of the 893
identification required by s. 101.043. 894
3. By delivery to the voter's designee up to 5 p.m. on the 895
third day before the petition deadline. Any voter may designate 896
in writing a person to pick up the petition form f or the voter; 897
however, the person designated may not pick up more than 2 898
petition forms per petition, other than the designee's own 899
petition form, except that additional petition forms may be 900
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 37 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
picked up for members of the designee's immediate family. The 901
designee shall provide to the supervisor the written 902
authorization by the voter, the designee's picture 903
identification and a completed affidavit. The designee shall 904
state in the affidavit that the designee is authorized by the 905
voter to pick up the petition f orm and must indicate if the 906
voter is a member of the designee's immediate family, and, if 907
so, the relationship. The department shall prescribe the form of 908
the affidavit. If the supervisor is satisfied that the designee 909
is authorized to pick up the petitio n form and that the 910
signature of the voter on the written authorization matches the 911
signature of the voter on file, the supervisor must give the 912
petition form to the designee for delivery to the voter. 913
(e) If a requested petition form is mailed to an add ress 914
other than the voter's address on file in the Florida Voter 915
Registration System or delivered to a designee, the supervisor 916
must mail a notice letter to the voter's address on file with 917
the Florida Voter Registration System. 918
(5) MATERIALS.—Only the materials necessary to submit a 919
petition form may be mailed or delivered with any petition form. 920
(6) PROHIBITION.—A supervisor may not send a petition form 921
to a voter unless the voter has requested a petition form in the 922
manner authorized under this secti on. 923
(7) MAILING ENVELOPE. — 924
(a) The supervisor shall enclose with each petition form a 925
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 38 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
mailing envelope that must be addressed to the supervisor and 926
also bear on the back side a certificate in substantially the 927
following form: 928
929
Note: Please Read Instructions Carefully Before 930
Completing Petition Form and Completing Voter's Certificate. 931
932
VOTER'S CERTIFICATE 933
I, ...., do solemnly swear or affirm that I am a qualified 934
and registered voter of .... County, Florida, and that I have 935
not and will not submi t more than one petition form for this 936
initiative. I understand that if I commit or attempt to commit 937
any fraud in connection with a petition, submit a fraudulent 938
petition form, or submit more than one petition form for the 939
same initiative, I can be convic ted of a misdemeanor of the 940
first degree and fined up to $1,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 941
a year. I also understand that failure to sign this certificate 942
will invalidate my petition form. 943
...(Date)... 944
...(Voter's Signature)... 945
...(E-Mail Address)... 946
...(Home Telephone Number)... 947
...(Mobile Telephone Number)... 948
949
(b) Each return mailing envelope must bear the voter's 950
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 39 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
name and any encoded mark used by the supervisor's office. 951
(c) A mailing envelope may not bear any indication of the 952
political affiliation of a voter. 953
(8) PLACEMENT OF THE VOTER'S CERTIFICATE. —The certificate 954
must be arranged on the back of the mailing envelope so that the 955
line for the signature of the voter is across the seal of the 956
envelope; however, no statement shall appear on the enve lope 957
which indicates that a signature of the voter must cross the 958
seal of the envelope. The voter shall execute the certificate on 959
the envelope. 960
(9) INSTRUCTIONS.—The supervisor shall enclose with each 961
petition form separate printed instructions in subst antially the 962
following form; however, where the instructions appear in 963
capitalized text, the text of the printed instructions must be 964
in boldface type: 965
966
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE COMPLETING 967
PETITION FORM. 968
969
1. VERY IMPORTANT. In order to e nsure that your petition 970
form will be counted, it should be completed and returned as 971
soon as possible so that it can reach the supervisor of 972
elections of your county of residence no later than 5 p.m. on 973
[INSERT PETITION DEADLINE]. 974
2. Place your complete d petition form into the enclosed 975
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 40 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
mailing envelope, which is addressed to the supervisor. 976
3. Seal the mailing envelope and completely fill out the 977
Voter's Certificate on the back of the mailing envelope. 978
4. VERY IMPORTANT. In order for your petition fo rm to be 979
counted, you must sign your name on the line above (Voter's 980
Signature). A petition form will not be counted if the signature 981
on the petition form does not match the signature on record. The 982
signature on file at the time the supervisor of elections in 983
your county of residence receives your petition form is the 984
signature that will be used to verify your signature on the 985
Voter's Certificate. If you need to update your signature for 986
this election, send your signature update on a voter 987
registration application to your supervisor of elections so that 988
it is received before your petition form is received. 989
5. Mail, deliver, or have delivered the completed mailing 990
envelope. Be sure there is sufficient postage if mailed. THE 991
COMPLETED MAILING ENVELOPE MUST B E DELIVERED TO THE OFFICE OF 992
THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OF YOUR COUNTY OF RESIDENCE. 993
6. FELONY NOTICE. It is a felony under Florida law to 994
accept any gift, payment, or gratuity in exchange for your 995
submission of a petition form. It is also a felony unde r Florida 996
law to submit a petition form using a false identity or false 997
address, or under any other circumstances making your petition 998
form false or fraudulent. 999
7. DEADLINE NOTICE. To ensure that your petition form 1000
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 41 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
counts, your supervisor of elections mu st receive your petition 1001
form by 5 p.m. [INSERT PETITION DEADLINE]. If you wait to mail 1002
your petition form, it might not count. To prevent this from 1003
occurring, please mail or turn in your petition form as soon as 1004
possible. 1005
1006
(10) REQUEST NOT TO PRECLUDE S UBMISSION OF A CIRCULATED 1007
PETITION FORM.—The provisions of this chapter may not be 1008
construed to prohibit a voter who has requested a petition form 1009
pursuant to this section from submitting a circulated petition 1010
form pursuant to s. 100.373, provided that the voter submits no 1011
more than one signed petition form for the same initiative or 1012
candidate petition. 1013
(11) ACCOMMODATION OF DISABILITIES. —It is the intent of 1014
the Legislature that submitting petition forms be by methods 1015
that are fully accessible to all voters, including voters having 1016
a disability. The department shall work with the supervisors and 1017
the disability community to develop and implement procedures and 1018
technologies that include processes for providing petition 1019
forms, upon request, in alternative formats that allow all 1020
voters to submit a petition form without the assistance of 1021
another person. 1022
(12) VERIFICATION.—A requested petition form is valid only 1023
if the supervisor verifies that: 1024
(a) The petition form was returned in a mailing envelope 1025
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 42 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
delivered by the supervisor pursuant to subsection (7) and the 1026
voter completed the voter certificate; 1027
(b) The signature on the petition form matches a signature 1028
on file for the voter in the Florida Voter Registration System; 1029
(c) The voter accurately record ed on the form the date on 1030
which the voter signed the form; 1031
(d) The form accurately sets forth the voter's name, 1032
address, city, county, and voter registration number or date of 1033
birth; 1034
(e) The form accurately sets forth the voter's Florida 1035
driver license number, the voter's Florida identification card 1036
number, or the last 4 digits of the voter's social security 1037
number; and 1038
(f) The voter is, at the time he or she signs the form and 1039
at the time the form is verified, an active and duly qualified 1040
and registered voter in this state. 1041
(13) POSTHUMOUS VERIFICATION. —An otherwise valid petition 1042
form may not be invalidated because the voter died after 1043
submitting the petition. 1044
Section 10. Section 100.377, Florida Statutes, is created 1045
to read: 1046
100.377 Signatures gathered for initiative petition; 1047
effect of this act.—Any initiative petition form approved by the 1048
Secretary of State before the effective date of this act may 1049
continue to be circulated. Any signature gathered on an 1050
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 43 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
authorized form for an initiative pe tition or candidate petition 1051
submitted to a supervisor of elections before the effective date 1052
of this act may be kept and counted, if otherwise valid, and 1053
that form is not required to be circulated and verified pursuant 1054
to s. 100.373 or requested and verif ied pursuant to s. 100.375. 1055
However, any signature submitted to a supervisor of elections 1056
after the effective date of this act is subject to the 1057
provisions of this act. 1058
Section 11. Subsection (1) of section 101.161, Florida 1059
Statutes, is amended to read: 1060
101.161 Referenda; ballots. — 1061
(1) A constitutional amendment proposed by initiative must 1062
define all terms of art and describe all newly created rights, 1063
requirements, prohibitions, and authorizations. Whenever a 1064
constitutional amendment or other pu blic measure is submitted to 1065
the vote of the people, a ballot summary of such amendment or 1066
other public measure shall be printed in clear and unambiguous 1067
language on the ballot after the list of candidates, followed by 1068
the word "yes" and also by the word " no," and shall be styled in 1069
such a manner that a "yes" vote will indicate approval of the 1070
proposal and a "no" vote will indicate rejection. The ballot 1071
summary of the amendment or other public measure and the ballot 1072
title to appear on the ballot shall be em bodied in the 1073
constitutional revision commission proposal, constitutional 1074
convention proposal, taxation and budget reform commission 1075
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 44 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
proposal, or enabling resolution or ordinance. The ballot 1076
summary of the amendment or other public measure shall be an 1077
explanatory statement, not exceeding 75 words in length, of the 1078
chief purpose of the measure. In addition, for every 1079
constitutional amendment proposed by initiative, the ballot 1080
shall include, following the ballot summary, in the following 1081
order: 1082
(a) A disclosure prepared by the Attorney General 1083
describing the material legal effects of the proposed amendment 1084
and identifying each provision of the State Constitution and 1085
Florida Statutes which may be repealed in full or in part. 1086
(b) A separate financial impact statement concerning the 1087
measure prepared by a panel composed of three persons appointed 1088
by the Governor the Financial Impact Estimating Conference in 1089
accordance with s. 100.371(8) s. 100.371(13). 1090
(c)(b) If the financial impact statement projects a net 1091
negative impact on the state budget, the following statement in 1092
bold print: 1093
1094
THIS PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS ESTIMATED TO 1095
HAVE A NET NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE STATE BUDGET. THIS 1096
IMPACT MAY RESULT IN HIGHER TAXES OR A LOSS OF 1097
GOVERNMENT SERVICES IN OR DER TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED 1098
STATE BUDGET AS REQUIRED BY THE CONSTITUTION. 1099
1100
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 45 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(d)1.(c)1. If the financial impact statement projects a 1101
net positive impact on the state budget resulting in whole or in 1102
part from additional tax revenue, the following statement i n 1103
bold print: 1104
1105
THIS PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS ESTIMATED TO 1106
HAVE A NET POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE STATE BUDGET. THIS 1107
IMPACT MAY RESULT IN GENERATING ADDITIONAL REVENUE OR 1108
AN INCREASE IN GOVERNMENT SERVICES. 1109
1110
2. If the financial impact statement pro jects a net 1111
positive impact on the state budget for reasons other than those 1112
specified in subparagraph 1., the following statement in bold 1113
print: 1114
1115
THIS PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS ESTIMATED TO 1116
HAVE A NET POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE STATE BUDGET. THIS 1117
IMPACT MAY RESULT IN LOWER TAXES OR AN INCREASE IN 1118
GOVERNMENT SERVICES. 1119
1120
(e)(d) If the financial impact statement is indeterminate 1121
or the members of the panel Financial Impact Estimating 1122
Conference are unable to agree on the financial impact 1123
statement, the following statement in bold print: 1124
1125
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 46 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THIS AMENDMENT CANNOT BE 1126
DETERMINED DUE TO AMBIGUITIES AND UNCERTAINTIES 1127
SURROUNDING THE AMENDMENT'S IMPACT. 1128
1129
The ballot title shall con sist of a caption, not exceeding 15 1130
words in length, by which the measure is commonly referred to or 1131
spoken of. This subsection does not apply to constitutional 1132
amendments or revisions proposed by joint resolution. 1133
Section 12. Section 104.045, Florida Statutes, is amended 1134
to read: 1135
104.045 Vote selling. —Any person who: 1136
(1) Corruptly offers to vote for or against, or to refrain 1137
from voting for or against, any candidate in any election , or to 1138
submit a petition form or refrain from submitting a petition 1139
form for any initiative or candidate petition, in return for 1140
pecuniary or other benefit; or 1141
(2) Accepts a pecuniary or other benefit in exchange for a 1142
promise to vote for or against, or to refrain from voting for or 1143
against, any candidate in any electio n, or to submit a petition 1144
form or refrain from submitting a petition form for any 1145
initiative or candidate petition , 1146
1147
is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as 1148
provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 1149
Section 13. Section 104.186, Florida Statutes, is 1150
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 47 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
repealed. 1151
Section 14. Section 106.031, Florida Statutes, is created 1152
to read: 1153
106.031 Reports and filings related to political 1154
committees organized to sponsor a constitutional amendment 1155
proposed by citizen initiative; penalties .— 1156
(1) As used in this section, the term 1157
(a) "Foreign national" has the same meaning as in s. 1158
106.08(12)(a)1. 1159
(b) "Preliminary activity" includes, but is not limited 1160
to, conducting a poll, drafting ballot petition language, 1161
conducting a focus group, making telephone calls, and 1162
travelling. 1163
(2) Any political committee that is organized to sponsor a 1164
constitutional amendment proposed by initiative shall also 1165
comply with the requirements of this section and this chapter. 1166
(3) Any donor or entity that m akes a contribution or 1167
independent expenditure to a political committee organized to 1168
sponsor a constitutional amendment proposed by initiative shall 1169
also comply with the requirements of this section and this 1170
chapter. 1171
(4) The statement of organization req uired in s. 1172
106.03(1)(a) must include a statement attesting that no 1173
preliminary activity was funded by foreign nationals, whether 1174
directly or indirectly. 1175
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 48 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(5) All reports required to be filed pursuant to s. 106.07 1176
must affirm that the political committee has not solicited or 1177
accepted contributions or expenditures from a foreign national. 1178
(6) Any person who makes an independent expenditure to a 1179
political committee organized to sponsor a citizen initiative 1180
petition shall also keep a record of the transacti on for 5 years 1181
from the date of the independent expenditure. A person who fails 1182
to retain the records for a period of 5 years commits a 1183
misdemeanor of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 1184
775.082 or s. 775.083. 1185
(7) Any report required pursuant to s. 106.07 must attest 1186
that each donor who made a contribution is not a foreign 1187
national and that each donor who made a contribution has not 1188
knowingly or willfully accepted funds aggregating in excess of 1189
$100,000 from a foreign national in the 4 -year period preceding 1190
the date the contribution is made. 1191
(8) Each donor or entity that made an independent 1192
expenditure shall attest to the division within 48 hours after 1193
making one or more independent expenditures that it has not 1194
knowingly and willfully accepted funds aggregating in excess of 1195
$100,000 from a foreign national in the 4 -year period preceding 1196
the date the contribution is made and that it will not do so 1197
through the election where the initiative is to appear on the 1198
ballot. A donor or entity that fails to make an attestation to 1199
the division within 48 hours after the contribution is made or 1200
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 49 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
makes a false attestation to the division commits a misdemeanor 1201
of the third degree punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 1202
775.083. 1203
(9) Any political committee t hat willfully submits a false 1204
statement or report required under this section while knowing 1205
that such report is incorrect, false, or incomplete commits a 1206
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 1207
775.082 or s. 775.083. 1208
(10) Any political committee that violates this section is 1209
liable for a civil fine of up to $5,000 to be determined by the 1210
Florida Elections Commission. 1211
(11) Any donor or entity that made an independent 1212
expenditure that violates this section is liable for a civil 1213
fine of up to $5,000, to be determined by the Florida Elections 1214
Commission. 1215
(12) The Attorney General may investigate, act upon, or 1216
dispose of alleged criminal violations of this section. Criminal 1217
proceedings for violations of this section may be brought in t he 1218
appropriate court of competent jurisdiction. In addition to 1219
other penalties provided, the court may assess a penalty up to 1220
three times the amount allowed in s. 775.083. 1221
(13) The division shall adopt rules to administer this 1222
section. 1223
Section 15. Subsection (12) of section 106.08, Florida 1224
Statutes, is amended to read: 1225
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 50 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
106.08 Contributions; limitations on. — 1226
(12)(a)1. For purposes of this subsection, the term 1227
"foreign national" means: 1228
a. A foreign government; 1229
b. A foreign political party; 1230
c. A foreign corporation, partnership, association, 1231
organization, or other combination of persons organized under 1232
the laws of or having its principal place of business in a 1233
foreign country; 1234
d. A person with foreign citizenship; or 1235
e. A person who is not a citizen or national of the United 1236
States and is not lawfully admitted to the United States for 1237
permanent residence. 1238
2. The term does not include: 1239
a. A person who is a dual citizen or dual national of the 1240
United States and a foreign country. 1241
b. A domestic subsidiary of a foreign corporation, 1242
partnership, association, organization, or other combination of 1243
persons organized under the laws of or having its principal 1244
place of business in a foreign country if: 1245
(I) The donations and disbursements used t oward a 1246
contribution or an expenditure are derived entirely from funds 1247
generated by the subsidiary's operations in the United States; 1248
and 1249
(II) All decisions concerning donations and disbursements 1250
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 51 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
used toward a contribution or an expenditure are made by 1251
individuals who either hold United States citizenship or are 1252
permanent residents of the United States. For purposes of this 1253
sub-sub-subparagraph, decisions concerning donations and 1254
disbursements do not include decisions regarding the 1255
subsidiary's overall bu dget for contributions or expenditures in 1256
connection with an election. 1257
(b) A foreign national may not make or offer to make, 1258
directly or indirectly, a contribution or expenditure in 1259
connection with any election held in the state. A foreign 1260
national who willfully makes or offers to make, directly or 1261
indirectly, a contribution to any election in this state commits 1262
a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 1263
775.082 or s. 775.083. 1264
(c) A foreign national who directs, dictates, controls, or 1265
directly or indirectly participates in the decisionmaking 1266
process of any person with regard to that person's activities to 1267
influence a citizen initiative by petition, such as decisions 1268
concerning the making of contributions or expenditures to 1269
influence a citizen initiative by petition, commits a felony of 1270
the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 1271
775.083. 1272
(d) A political committee organized to sponsor a citizen 1273
initiative by petition which knowingly solicits or accepts any 1274
expenditure from a foreign national commits a felony of the 1275
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 52 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 1276
775.083. 1277
(e) A foreign national who willfully violates any part of 1278
this subsection or a political committee that willfully violates 1279
any part of this subsection may be subject to a fine of at least 1280
$5,000 and up to $50,000, to be determined by the Florida 1281
Elections Commission. 1282
(f) The Attorney General may investigate, act upon, or 1283
dispose of alleged criminal violations of this subsection. 1284
Criminal proceedings for violations of this subsection may be 1285
brought in the appropriate court of competent jurisdiction. In 1286
addition to other penalties provided, the court may assess a 1287
penalty of up to three times the amount allowed in s. 775.083. 1288
Section 16. Subsection (3) of section 106.19, Florida 1289
Statutes, is amended to read: 1290
106.19 Violations by candidates, persons connected w ith 1291
campaigns, and political committees. — 1292
(3) A political committee sponsoring a constitutional 1293
amendment proposed by initiative which submits a petition form 1294
gathered by a paid petition circulator which does not provide 1295
the name and address of the paid petition circulator on the form 1296
is subject to the civil penalties prescribed in s. 106.265. 1297
Section 17. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 1298
212.055, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1299
212.055 Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative intent ; 1300
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 53 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
authorization and use of proceeds. —It is the legislative intent 1301
that any authorization for imposition of a discretionary sales 1302
surtax shall be published in the Florida Statutes as a 1303
subsection of this section, irrespective of the duration of the 1304
levy. Each enactment shall specify the types of counties 1305
authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be imposed; the 1306
maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed, if any; the 1307
procedure which must be followed to secure voter approval, if 1308
required; the purpose for which the proceeds may be expended; 1309
and such other requirements as the Legislature may provide. 1310
Taxable transactions and administrative procedures shall be as 1311
provided in s. 212.054. 1312
(1) CHARTER COUNTY AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM 1313
SURTAX.— 1314
(c)1. The proposal to adopt a discretionary sales surtax 1315
as provided in this subsection and to create a trust fund within 1316
the county accounts shall be placed on the ballot in accordance 1317
with law and must be approved in a referendum held at a general 1318
election in accordance with subsection (10). 1319
2. If the proposal to adopt a surtax is by initiative, the 1320
petition sponsor must, at least 180 days before the proposed 1321
referendum, comply with all of the following: 1322
a. Provide a copy of the final resolution or o rdinance to 1323
the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government 1324
Accountability. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and 1325
HB 21A 2025A
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb21a-00
Page 54 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Government Accountability shall procure a certified public 1326
accountant in accordance with subsection (11) for the 1327
performance audit. 1328
b. File the initiative petition and its required valid 1329
signatures with the supervisor of elections. The supervisor of 1330
elections shall verify signatures and retain signature forms in 1331
the same manner as required for initiatives under s. 100.371(6) 1332
s. 100.371(11). 1333
3. The failure of an initiative sponsor to comply with the 1334
requirements of subparagraph 2. renders any referendum held 1335
void. 1336
Section 18. If any provision of this act or its 1337
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 1338
invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of 1339
this act which can be given effect without the invalid provision 1340
or application, and to this end the provisions of this act are 1341
severable. 1342
Section 19. The Division of Law Revision is direct ed to 1343
replace the phrase "the effective date of this act" wherever it 1344
occurs in this act with the date this act becomes a law. 1345
Section 20. This act shall take effect upon becoming a 1346
law. 1347