WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Floridians Protecting Freedom has already spent $17 million to pay for efforts canvassing fairs, festivals, and street corners to gather more than a million signatures to get Amendment 4 on the November ballot.
“It’ll be expensive but at the same time, we’ll be ready for the works,” Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said.
The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates is one of numerous organizations in support of Floridians Protecting Freedom's campaign and the Amendment 4 ballot initiative, which would loosen abortion restrictions.
Floridian Protecting Freedom said it has also raised almost $3 million more this week after Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that the amendment vote will be on the fall ballot.
WPTV broke down the group’s fundraising with information coming from the Florida Department of State.
- 14% of the donors are from out of state with the most coming from New York and Washington, D.C. That’s a higher number of out of state donors compared to Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio where similar abortion-rights amendments were on the ballot in 2023.
- Locally, donors in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast accounted for 18% of the number of donors in Florida.
- However, these same donors raised 34% of the money in Florida due in large part to six and seven figure donations from Planned Parenthood and two wealthy contributors from Palm Beach County.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: ABORTION
These numbers may provide an insight into spending on the amendment between now and the November election.
“It will cost money. We’ll have to get on the airwaves,” Goodhue said. “We’re also organizing in the communities. It’s difficult to put a number on it right now. But we know statewide races in Florida can be expensive.”
Florida Family Policy Council Legislative Director Aaron DiPietro said groups like Planned Parenthood’s national organization, and unions based in New York are contributing big money.
“A good portion is coming from out of state advocates and activists,” he said.
The Florida Family Policy Council opposes the amendment and DiPietro promises the anti-abortion movement will be competitive in this race, even though ballot initiatives to restrict or ban abortions failed recently in red states.
However, unlike the other states, Florida needs 60% of voters to approve the measure for the amendment to pass.
“No state in our nation that would be considered a purple or red leaning state has seen 60% support,” DiPietro said.
“Already, we’ve had overwhelming support just through the petition drive,” countered Goodhue. “So, we’re confident that we will be able to meet that hurdle and surpass it.”
Florida’s 60% threshold is critical.
Three constitutional amendments on the 2022 ballot failed, yet all received more than 53% of the votes.