The advocates behind Florida’s pro-choice Amendment 4 cleared a huge hurdle in April when the notoriously conservative state Supreme Court approved the measure for the November ballot. Many were relieved at the time — believing that the biggest obstacle was behind them — but after this week, it’s clear they’re not out of the woods just yet.
A Florida administrative committee decided earlier this week on a financial impact statement that must appear alongside Amendment 4 on ballots. Over the course of three meetings, including a 12-hour debate on Monday, the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference crafted a statement riddled with misinformation that will be printed next to the amendment seeking to restore abortion access until around 24 weeks in the state.
The supposedly nonpartisan FIEC crafts fiscal statements to appear next to any citizen-led measure that makes it on the ballot. The panel is usually made up of a Florida House staffer, a Florida Senate staffer, a representative from the governor’s office and the state’s chief economist. But state House Speaker Paul Renner (R) replaced the House staffer with an economist from the Heritage Foundation, the ultra-conservative think tank behind Project 2025.
