This isn't about politics. It's about who gets to decide.
Floridians deserve the final say in the direction of their state.
David Jolly believes Floridians deserve the final say in the direction of their state. He supports home rule, meaning local decisions should belong to local people without Tallahassee overriding local zoning, labor standards, or environmental protections. He believes direct democracy should be easier, not harder, and that when more than 50% of Floridians vote for a constitutional amendment, the Governor should lead the fight to enact it, not delay or undermine it.
Floridians know what they need. Tallahassee keeps telling them no.
Across Florida, voters use their voice at the ballot box to chart the future of their communities. Different backgrounds. Different beliefs. Same understanding that the people who live here should shape what happens here.
But politicians in Tallahassee have made it their mission to override that voice. When Floridians vote for change, the response from the capital is preemption, delay, ideological games. The system has been rigged to make direct democracy harder, not easier.
This isn't a fight between left and right. This is a fight between the people of Florida and a political class that refuses to listen.
Home rule means local decisions belong to local people.
For decades, Florida communities have built their own solutions to the challenges they face. Local governments closest to the people made decisions that reflected the values and needs of their residents.
That tradition is under attack. Tallahassee now overrides local zoning laws, local labor standards, local environmental protections. The message from the capital is clear: your vote doesn't matter if we disagree with it.
Home rule isn't a partisan issue. It's a question of trust. Do we trust the people of Jacksonville to decide what's right for Jacksonville? Do we trust the voters of Miami to chart Miami's future? Or do we believe that a handful of politicians in one building should control every community in the state?
The answer should be obvious.
Direct democracy should be easier, not a gauntlet.
Right now, getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida requires clearing hurdle after hurdle. Signature thresholds have been raised. Legal challenges pile up. Even when voters pass an amendment with overwhelming support, the fight to implement it can drag on for years.
This is by design. Politicians who don't trust the people have made it nearly impossible for citizens to change the rules without their permission.
The David Jolly campaign believes direct democracy should work the other way. If more than 50% of Floridians vote for an amendment, the Governor should lead the fight to enact it. Not delay it. Not undermine it. Not twist it into something unrecognizable. Enact it.
Because when the people speak, the job of government is to listen.
This is about trust. And Florida has earned it.
Floridians have used the ballot box to protect the Everglades, restore voting rights, raise the minimum wage, expand access to medical care. These weren't partisan victories. They were the people of Florida deciding what kind of state they want to live in.
The response from Tallahassee has been resistance at every turn. Litigation. Legislative workarounds. Flat-out refusal to implement the will of the voters.
That stops when leadership changes. A governor who believes in home rule and direct democracy doesn't just respect the results. A governor fights for them. Stands with local communities. Defends the right of Floridians to chart their own course.
This is what self-government looks like.
The people of Florida deserve a governor who listens.
This campaign is built on a simple idea: the voice of the people should be louder than the ambitions of politicians. Home rule and direct democracy aren't threats to good governance. They are the foundation of it.
Floridians know what they need. It's time Tallahassee started acting like it.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is Jolly's position on home rule?
Jolly proposes Florida respect home rule and support the implementation of successful voter initiatives in communities across the state. This pushes back against the pattern of Tallahassee preempting local ordinances on issues like minimum wages, heat protections, and other local matters. His framing is that local communities know what they need, and Tallahassee should not override local democracy on local matters.
Q. Why does Jolly say if an amendment gets more than 50% of the vote, the Governor should fight to enact it?
Florida requires a 60% supermajority for ballot initiatives, resulting in majority-supported amendments that failed, including reproductive rights (57%), marijuana legalization (56%), and open primaries (57%). Jolly's position is that while the formal threshold remains 60%, a governor can use executive authority (rulemaking, executive orders, vetoes) to advance the underlying policy goals of majority-supported amendments when direct democracy is blocked by procedure.
Q. What is Florida's closed-primary system?
Florida's closed-primary system means voters registered with No Party Affiliation (approximately 25% of registered voters, or 3.5+ million people) cannot vote in Democratic or Republican primary elections. Only registered party members can vote in their party's primary. In a state where many races are effectively decided in primaries, this disenfranchises NPA voters from meaningful participation.
Q. How do I vote by mail in Florida?
You must request a mail-in ballot for each election cycle (the request is no longer valid for two cycles). Request online via your county supervisor of elections or by calling or writing the supervisor's office. The deadline to request is 10 days before election day. Ballots must be received by 7 PM on election day to be counted (postmarks do not count).
Q. What did SB 7066 do to Amendment 4?
In June 2019, Governor DeSantis signed SB 7066, which redefined all terms of sentence in Amendment 4 to include legal financial obligations (restitution, fines, and fees). This created a pay-to-vote system where returning citizens with outstanding court debt cannot vote until those debts are paid. The Sentencing Project estimates SB 7066 effectively re-disenfranchised over 960,000 Floridians who would otherwise have qualified under Amendment 4.
Q. What if I am a returning citizen in Florida?
If you have a felony conviction that is not for murder or a sexual offense, and you have completed all terms of your sentence (including any outstanding legal financial obligations like restitution, fines, and fees), you can register to vote under Amendment 4. Several organizations help returning citizens navigate the system, including the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the ACLU of Florida, and the Brennan Center's Florida program.