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Florida Widens Marijuana Petition Fraud Probe as Judge Orders Updated Signature Tally

A court-ordered update of verified totals aims to provide clarity before the Sunday deadline.

Overview

  • State prosecutors expanded their inquiry statewide and opened a half dozen new criminal investigations into Smart & Safe Florida circulators after on‑site work in Broward County with FDLE agents.
  • Officials say petitioners under scrutiny submitted about 25,000 petitions in Broward, nearly 10,000 of which initially appeared verified, calling the findings the tip of the iceberg.
  • Leon County Circuit Judge Jonathan Sjostrom ordered the Division of Elections to post weekly valid‑signature totals, and the state website now shows 760,002 after the campaign sued.
  • Smart & Safe Florida must reach at least 880,062 valid signatures statewide and meet congressional‑district thresholds by 5 p.m. Sunday, with verification — not just submission — required by the deadline.
  • The campaign argues it followed the law and set aside suspicious petitions, while separate reporting details large batches disqualified for missing full text, inactive voters, and non‑Florida circulators.