Official Statement: 2025 Legislative Session

As the 2025 Regular Legislative Session was set to end on May 2, the Florida Legislature failed to do the one job the state constitution requires of them: pass a budget.

Now, instead of adjourning as scheduled, lawmakers have been forced to extend the session until June 6, costing taxpayers more money to make up for their own dysfunction and delay.

But this extension isn’t just about the budget. It gives the Legislature more time to advance harmful bills, attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), restricting voting rights, undermining public education, and silencing the voices of everyday Floridians.

While they failed to meet their most basic constitutional obligation, they did find time to pass HB 1205, a bill that guts the citizen-led ballot initiative process and strikes at the heart of direct democracy.

When politicians fail to address the pressing needs of Floridians, the citizen-led initiative process has been our last remaining lifeline—our direct path to engaging in democracy and demanding change. We used it to pass Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to returning citizens. We used it to pass the Fair Districts Amendments, fighting for fair representation. And just this past election, a majority of voters once again supported change, but because of Florida’s arbitrary 60% threshold for constitutional amendments, those efforts fell short, despite widespread support.

Out of nearly 2,000 bills filed, only 217 passed, making this one of the least productive and most chaotic sessions in recent memory. Instead of addressing rising housing costs, economic uncertainty, and critical public needs, lawmakers prioritized culture wars and partisan games.

Passing a budget isn’t optional—it’s the law. And now, because they failed to do their job, Floridians are left paying the price.