How our tax dollars became DeSantis’ fund against abortion and marijuana amendments | Opinion

The drive to defeat Florida’s proposed constitutional amendments to legalize recreational marijuana and to protect abortion rights has received a huge infusion of cash — courtesy of taxpayers, whether they like it or not.

In some countries, we would describe the use of state resources by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to sway the outcome of the November election as propaganda. In Florida, officials describe the millions of tax dollars spent on ads and material against the amendments as “public service announcements,” even though there’s a big question mark on whether that’s legal.

Floridians shouldn’t be fooled by this euphemism.

This is another example of DeSantis weaponizing state government to promote or oppose his political causes and to tamp down speech he doesn’t like. The Florida Department of Health went as far as threatening legal action against TV stations that aired ads in support of Amendment 4, which would enshrine the right to an abortion up to viability in the state constitution.

The agency claimed the ads were false, even though they merely featured a woman named Caroline who said Florida’s six-week abortion ban would have prevented her from receiving a life-saving abortion when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Stories like hers have become more common because, although the state ban makes exceptions to save the life of the mother, the law is vague and doctors and hospitals are often hesitant to terminate pregnancies out of fear they will be prosecuted.

A federal judge ruled that the state was “trampling” on free speech rights and exercising “viewpoint discrimination” and blocked the DOH from continuing to intimidate broadcasters.

“To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in his ruling.

DeSantis has often pushed the boundaries of what’s constitutional with the laws he has proposed over the years, such as the ones prohibiting social media platforms from removing political candidates and banning certain types of diversity training at private companies. With a compliant Republican-led Legislature, the courts have become the only real check on the governor’s power, which DeSantis continues to try to expand with his use of our tax money as an election-year fund.

If Amendment 4 is approved by at least 60% of voters, that will be a blow to DeSantis’ legacy. Back when he was still planning a run for president, he promoted and signed the extreme six-week abortion ban that the amendment would overturn. It’s no coincidence that another agency that reports to him — the Agency for Health Care Administration — launched a website opposing Amendment 4. State officials have been actively campaigning against Amendment 4 in state-sponsored news conferences and on social media.

On Amendment 3 to legalize adult marijuana use, DeSantis has been throwing around his political weight in an attempt to convince voters to reject it, saying Florida would smell of weed, even though lawmakers can regulate and prohibit its use in public spaces. Certainly, the governor has the right to use his bully pulpit to support or oppose ballot issues. But using the heft of the state agencies that he controls crosses an ethical and, potentially, legal line.

Last month, the state paid $4 million in settlement money from opioid manufacturers — dollars that could be better used to aid Floridians — to a marketing agency to run ads against marijuana use, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

This week, Democrats filed a criminal complaint with the Leon County State Attorney’s Office accusing DeSantis officials of breaking a law against state workers using their positions to influence elections. State Attorney Jack Campbell, a Democrat, has remained silent on what he plans to do, the Tampa Bay Times reported on Wednesday. And he would have political reasons to refrain from looking into the case: DeSantis has removed two Democratic state attorneys from office in Central Florida and in the Tampa Bay area.

DeSantis’ use of the state government raises serious questions about his anti-democratic tendencies. But Floridians shouldn’t allow his government-funded efforts to succeed, and the opposition should not be intimidated.

Click here to send the letter.