LAKE CITY, Fla. — Action News Jax is pushing for answers from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about a state agency’s anti-Amendment 4 webpage and a Department of State petition fraud probe into the effort to get the abortion expansion amendment on the ballot.
DeSantis defended this Amendment 4 information page, posted by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, during a news conference in Lake City on Tuesday afternoon.
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The page claims the amendment that seeks to expand abortion access in the state would lead to unregulated and unsafe abortions, and that it fails to define terms like “patient health,” “health care provider” and “viability.”
“It’s not an anti-Amendment 4. What it is, is it’s providing information about what Florida law is,” DeSantis said.
We pushed back, noting the page includes negative information, like a claim the amendment would “threaten women’s safety.”
“Here’s the thing. How many people would say that displacing the role of physician would not put health at risk? Of course it would,” DeSantis rebutted.
RELATED: FL Dems call for probe of 2 state agencies, accusing them of meddling in abortion amendment campaign
On Monday, Florida Democrats held a press conference where they called the AHCA page an illegal use of taxpayer dollars to fund a political campaign.
They pointed to this state law that prohibits public employees from using their official authority to coerce or influence another person’s vote.
“This should really shock everybody. That we are using government money, our taxpayer dollars, is not only illegal, but again this goes way above anything that we have even seen under a DeSantis administration,” Nikki Fried, Chair of the Democratic Party of Florida, said.
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Democrats also raised concerns about an investigation into alleged petition fraud related to Amendment 4, which is currently being conducted by the Florida Department of State, calling it “voter intimidation.”
“We collected hundreds and thousands of verified petitions and there were no reports of fraud, no indications of that before Governor Ron DeSantis created the political theater that we’re seeing today,” State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) said.
DeSantis has claimed dozens of petitions were submitted on behalf of dead people.
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On Tuesday, he also suggested there is evidence petition gatherers were being illegally paid per petition.
We asked whether the investigation could put the abortion expansion amendment at risk of being taken off the ballot.
He told us he didn’t know, but noted he supports the investigation.
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“They’re investigating this, as they should. Our tolerance for voter fraud in the State of Florida is zero,” DeSantis said.
Democrats said Monday they’re considering all legal options, including possible state and even federal investigations.
They suggested they may ultimately file suit to try and get AHCA’s Amendment 4 webpage taken down.
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