TALLAHASSEE — Supporters of a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution squared off Wednesday against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration before a Leon County circuit judge in a lawsuit accusing the state of illegally using public resources to spread “misinformation” about the ballot measure. The lawsuit, filed this month by attorneys for the Floridians Protecting Freedom political committee, seeks a temporary injunction to prevent the Agency for Health Care Administration from continuing to disseminate the information online and through television and radio ads.
Daniel Marshall, a lawyer who represents the committee, told Circuit Judge Jonathan Sjostrom that the state has “unconstitutionally entered the debate” over what will appear as Amendment 4 on the November ballot. “First, it has abandoned any semblance of neutrality and instead is now engaging in electioneering and advocating against the amendment through ads on TV and radio and on the internet,” Marshall, an attorney with Gainesville-based Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., argued.
Also, the state’s website “contains false and misleading information” about the proposal, Marshall said. “While the state has the authority to educate voters about ballot initiatives, in this case it has gone way beyond education. Legally, the state may only conduct educational activities in a way that is neutral, and it has gone beyond that here,” he added.
Door knocking, TV ads, websites: The abort.
