Sep 18, 2024 - News

Florida groups spend big on abortion amendment ahead of November referendum

Sommer Brugal

Illustration of a stethoscope surrounded by ballot imagery. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Groups across Florida have spent nearly $13.5 million on advertisements for and against the state's ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, according to Ad Impact.

Why it matters: The outcome of November's referendum will have massive implications for reproductive health in the South, and groups on both sides are spending big to influence voters.

Clinician-provided abortions plummeted by 35% in the two months following the state's six-week abortion law going into effect in May.

By the numbers: Floridians Protecting Freedom, the coalition that put abortion access on the ballot, has spent more than $6.6 million since the start of the year.

It has focused the bulk of its spending in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Orlando-Daytona Beach areas.
On the other side, the Republican Party of Florida has spent more than $6.5 million across the state.
Florida Voters Against Extremism, which opposes Amendment 4, has spent around $114,000, while the ACLU, which supports it, has spent just over $30,000.

Catch up quick: In recent weeks, the DeSantis administration has used government resources to combat the initiative.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended those efforts, but the state now faces multiple lawsuits arguing they were illegal.

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Florida groups spend big on abortion amendment ahead of November referendum

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