STATE CAPITAL BRIEFS (EVENING EDITION): TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
MARIJUANA AMENDMENT REACHES 400K SIGNATURES
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana have submitted 400,000 valid petition signatures to the state as they try to get on the November 2016 ballot. As of early Tuesday evening, People United for Medical Marijuana had submitted 400,032 signatures, according to the state Division of Elections website. The group faces a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting 683,149 petition signatures and also needs the Florida Supreme Court to sign off on the proposed ballot wording. Orlando attorney John Morgan, who is chairman of the group, has heavily funded the ballot initiative. The group, which also is known as United for Care, tried to pass a similar constitutional amendment in 2014 but narrowly lost.
FLORIDA’S PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY BALLOTS SET
Florida Republicans will be able to select from 13 candidates in the March 15 presidential preference primary. Democrats will have three candidates — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — on the ballot, according a list released Tuesday by Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner. The Republicans on the ballot are former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, physician Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and businessman Donald Trump. Voters must be registered by Feb. 16 with one of the parties to participate in the primary.