Last verified: May 2026
The Vote
| Geography | Yes | No | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida statewide | ~55.9% | ~44.1% | Failed (60% supermajority required) |
| Miami-Dade County | ~48% | ~51% | Rejected; 1,104,596 ballots / 72.41% turnout |
| Cuban-American voters (Mason-Dixon) | 42% | 51% | Most cannabis-skeptical Hispanic sub-group |
| Puerto Rican voters (Mason-Dixon) | 58% | — | Most supportive Hispanic sub-group |
Smart & Safe Florida raised ~$153.8M (largest drug-legalization spend in U.S. history); opposition committees ~$33.6M. The 2026 follow-up effort died on March 9, 2026 when the Florida Supreme Court declined to rehear Smart & Safe Florida's signature challenge.
The Measure
On November 5, 2024, Florida voters considered Amendment 3 — Adult Personal Use of Marijuana, sponsored by Smart & Safe Florida. The measure would have allowed adults 21 and older to:
- Possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis for non-medical use
- Possess up to 5 grams of concentrate
- Purchase at existing MMTCs and any state-licensed entrants
The Funding
Smart & Safe Florida raised approximately $153.8 million in reported contributions — the most in any drug-legalization effort in U.S. history. The campaign was funded principally by Trulieve (CEO Kim Rivers), which contributed the bulk of the total.
Opposition committees reported approximately $33.6 million:
- Vote No on 3
- Floridians Against Recreational Marijuana
- Florida Freedom Fund — created by Governor DeSantis specifically to oppose Amendment 3 (and the simultaneous Amendment 4 abortion measure)
The Statewide Result
Approximately 55.9% Yes / 44.1% No — a clear majority but short of the 60% supermajority required for Florida constitutional amendments. Florida is one of a small number of states with the 60% supermajority requirement (most states require simple majority).
The defeat ended Florida’s most-funded recreational cannabis effort to date. Trulieve’s ~$130M+ in campaign contributions effectively delivered a 55.9% Yes outcome that fell ~4 points short of passage.
The Miami-Dade Result — The Shock
Miami-Dade County result: Approximately 51% No / 48% Yes, per Reason Magazine reporting on election night with 95% of votes counted.
This is a striking finding: Miami-Dade voted less in favor of cannabis legalization than the state overall. The narrative often assumed before the election — that Miami-Dade as a Democratic stronghold would deliver a strong Yes margin — was inverted. Miami-Dade rejected Amendment 3 outright.
⚠️ Official certified Yes/No vote totals from the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections’ Certificate of County Canvassing Board – Amendments PDF are the authoritative source; the 51–48 figure is the most precise widely reported number we could verify. Miami-Dade saw 1,104,596 ballots cast against 1,525,474 registered voters (72.41% turnout, 762/762 precincts reporting).
Why Miami-Dade Said No — Three Reinforcing Factors
1. Cuban-American Opposition
The September 2024 Mason-Dixon / NBC-Telemundo poll found 51% of Cuban-Americans opposed Amendment 3 against just 42% in favor. Miami-Dade is the densest Cuban-American county in the U.S. The Cuban-American conservative posture on cannabis — rooted in cultural-religious tradition, generational anti-counterculture framing, and Republican-party alignment — was the single largest drag on Miami-Dade Yes share. Cuban-American politics detail.
2. The Trump-Aligned 2024 Wave in Miami-Dade
Donald Trump won Miami-Dade with 55.2% to Kamala Harris’s 43.7% — the first Republican presidential win in Miami-Dade since George H.W. Bush in 1988, a roughly 18-point swing from 2020. Republican-aligned voters tracked closely with the Vote No on 3 campaign. Coattail effects from the top of the ticket likely drove some of the Amendment 3 No vote.
3. The DeSantis Opposition Campaign
Governor Ron DeSantis used taxpayer funds for a “public service announcement” blitz against Amendment 3. The opposition committees collectively spent ~$33.6M but DeSantis’s use of state-government communications channels added unpriced effective spend that compounded the formal opposition spend.
The Florida Freedom Fund was created by DeSantis specifically to oppose Amendment 3 (and the simultaneous Amendment 4 abortion measure). Both measures failed, though both received clear majority Yes votes.
The Smart & Safe Florida Strategy in Retrospect
The Trulieve-led Smart & Safe Florida strategy bet heavily on:
- High volume of paid media (TV, digital, radio)
- Existing MMTC patient base as natural Yes voters
- Spanish-language outreach in Miami-Dade
- Veteran-aligned messaging
What the strategy underweighted: the depth of Cuban-American conservative cannabis skepticism, the strength of the 2024 Republican wave, and the impact of state-government anti-Amendment-3 messaging.
Other Key Statewide Numbers
- Florida statewide turnout: ~78% — high turnout year (presidential)
- Statewide Yes share: ~55.9%
- Required threshold: 60%
- Gap below threshold: ~4.1 percentage points
What the Vote Did Not Change
Amendment 3’s defeat preserved:
- Florida’s medical-only program under §381.986
- The MMTC vertical-integration framework
- The OMMU 70-day supply rule
- The Chapter 893 criminal penalties for non-patient possession
- The §893.135 trafficking mandatory minimums (which would have remained even if Amendment 3 had passed)
- The federal-jurisdiction layer at PortMiami, MIA, and federal property
What Happens Next — The 2026 Effort and 2028
Smart & Safe Florida launched a 2026 ballot effort almost immediately after the 2024 defeat — but that effort failed to qualify for the ballot. The Florida Supreme Court declined to rehear the signature challenge on March 9, 2026. 2026 ballot effort detail.
The 2028 ballot is the next plausible vehicle — but the new law preventing carryover of 2026 signatures means Smart & Safe Florida (or its successor) must mount a fresh, fully funded petition drive.
Companion Pages
For deeper context, see our 2026 ballot effort detail, our Miami-Dade officials page, and our Cuban-American politics page.
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org