TALLAHASSEE, FL – Wednesday, January 20, 2026 — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the opening of 46 new criminal investigations and the issuance of four criminal subpoenas as part of the Office of Statewide Prosecution’s ongoing election fraud investigation related to petition collection for a proposed constitutional amendment on adult personal use of marijuana.
The subpoenas require Smart & Safe Florida, along with its contractors and subcontractors, to produce documents related to the alleged fraud. The action aims to determine whether criminal liability extends beyond individual petition circulators to broader organizational conduct.
Records reviewed by the Office of Statewide Prosecution indicate that approximately 50 petition circulators associated with Smart & Safe Florida submitted more than 21,600 petitions in support of the initiative known as 25-01, Adult Personal Use of Marijuana. Of those, over 14,500 petitions raised significant concerns, including mismatched signatures or other indicators of fraud, and were invalidated by election officials.
Approximately 7,100 petitions submitted by these circulators were verified as valid by Florida Supervisors of Elections.
Attorney General Uthmeier stated that recently obtained documents show Smart & Safe Florida was aware of dozens of fraudsters submitting over 21,000 petitions but did not inform law enforcement.
During the past several months, nine petition circulators have been arrested or had warrants issued, with at least six more investigations actively pending. The Office of Statewide Prosecution anticipates additional arrests in the coming weeks as several investigations near completion.
Statewide Prosecutor Brad McVay sent a formal letter to the Special Agent in Charge at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement outlining the scope of the investigation and required records.
SOURCE: STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF FLORIDA
