When a red wave swept through Florida in 2022, Ron DeSantis and his Republican supermajority got to work implementing many of the extremist policies outlined in Project 2025. Books were banned and history suppressed in public schools. Over 1 million voters, majority Democrat, were purged from voter rolls.

A 15 week abortion ban was implemented, with an even more restrictive 6 week ban in the works. The boldness of these policies show that DeSantis believed Florida Democrats were too badly beaten to fight back. It's a beautiful irony that DeSantis' arrogant miscalculation is going to ensure that the right to choose is enshrined in the Florida Constitution.

DeSantis seriously underestimated the strength of grassroots Democratic organizers in Florida. When abortion was banned, Democrats throughout the state jumped into action. We mobilized from the bright blue of Miami-Dade to the deep red of the panhandle.

A ballot initiative was born that will allow Floridians to vote on a woman’s right to choose. The next step: Collecting 900,000 petitions. But 900,000 is the number of petitions that must remain after Republicans attempt to throw out every petition they can, so the true number was well over a million.

Through an unbelievable effort, this was accomplished in time for the Florida Supreme Court to deliberate over adding the initiative to the 2024 ballot. Up against a Republican court, Democrats had to make their case flawlessly. Something was going to go wrong.

Something alway.