Our Impact
With the support of our dedicated members, Common Cause Florida has shown up time and time again to protect Floridians’ rights.
We have been holding the government of Florida accountable since the 1970s and we will continue to fight for open government, fair representation, and free and fair elections in the Sunshine State.
When Common Cause Florida takes action, we make a real difference for democracy.
Standing up to Racial Discrimination
Common Cause Florida, Fair Districts Now, the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, and individual voters from across Florida filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis engaged in intentional racial discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution when they crafted Florida’s current congressional map. We argued our case strongly in court, and one of the judges on the three-judge panel found that the Governor had intentionally discriminated on the basis of race. While the court’s ultimate ruling unfortunately upheld the map, it also clearly recounted the long history of racial discrimination in voting in Florida.
Fighting the Influence of Big Donors
Common Cause Florida spearheaded the fight to successfully defeat Amendment 6 on the 2024 Florida ballot. If passed, this amendment would have repealed Article VI, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution, which requires the state to have a public financing program for candidates for Governor and Cabinet who agree to spending limits. It also would have repealed the entire Florida Election Campaign Financing Act and wiped out Florida’s long tradition of public financing. A critical tool in the fight against money in politics, public financing opens doors to candidates who otherwise couldn’t take the financial leap to run for office and incentivizes elected leaders to be more responsive to the communities they serve.
