TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Facing pressure from activists, Florida’s election authorities are moving forward with a proposed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, aiming to place it on the ballot next year, recent legal filings reveal.

This procedural action follows a complaint filed by the campaign group Smart & Safe Florida with the Florida Supreme Court. The complaint accused officials within Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration of attempting to improperly prevent the measure from reaching the 2026 ballot.

On November 17, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd submitted a legal filing arguing that the lawsuit has become irrelevant and should be dismissed. This argument comes after state officials issued an official letter to Smart & Safe Florida and forwarded the proposed ballot amendment to the state attorney general.

These actions signify formal recognition that the campaign has successfully collected the necessary hundreds of thousands of voter petitions to qualify for the ballot. This accomplishment triggers the required process for the state Supreme Court to review the proposed amendment’s language, as mandated by state law for any issue advancing to the ballot.

The situation is the latest in a prolonged battle between progressive organizers pushing to amend Florida’s constitution and the conservative governor. In 2024, Governor DeSantis effectively used state resources and his political influence to campaign against the legalization of marijuana for personal use and the expansion of abortion rights.

For years, Florida voters have turned to the citizens’ ballot initiative process to bypass the Republican-dominated Legislature and advance progressive policies such as raising the minimum wage and restoring the voting rights of people with felony convictions.

In May, DeSantis signed a law creating new hurdles for citizen-driven ballot initiatives, changes critics say would make it prohibitively expensive and effectively impossible for grassroots campaigners to get issues on the ballot. Since the passage of the law, a campaign to expand Medicaid in the state announced it’s delaying its push to get the question on the ballot until 2028.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.