Florida abortion initiative tops $1.94M in June

Trying to quickly gather enough petition signatures to get on the 2024 ballot, a political committee leading efforts to pass a constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights collected nearly $1.942 million in June, according to a newly filed finance report.

As of June 30, the Floridians Protecting Freedom committee had collected about $4.719 million since being formed in April.

It had spent almost $4.59 million, including about $2.52 million in June. Most of the June spending went to petition-gathering efforts, according to the report posted on the state Division of Elections website. Large donors in June included Planned Parenthood organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

To get the proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2024 ballot, Floridians Protecting Freedom will need to submit at least 891,523 valid petition signatures to the state by Feb. 1. If the measure reaches the ballot, it would need support from at least 60 percent of voters.

The initiative was launched after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature this spring approved a bill that seeks to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.