MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A Miami Gardens woman is facing more than 140 felony counts after state investigators say she submitted fraudulent petitions tied to the “Smart and Safe Florida” constitutional amendment effort on marijuana use.
Officials with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the 24-year-old was a paid petition gatherer who turned in petitions using fictitious names in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
In total, authorities said she faces counts of petition fraud and 72 counts of perjury, all third-degree felonies.
FDLE said its investigation began in January 2023, when suspicious petitions were flagged by election officials in Escambia County.
Santa Rosa County elections officials later uncovered additional fraudulent petitions linked to the same petition gatherer.
The woman was first arrested in Santa Rosa County in January 2024 but failed to appear in court, according to investigators. She was arrested again in August 2025 during a traffic stop in Coral Springs and later extradited to Escambia County.
The State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit is prosecuting the case, and FDLE said the investigation remains “ongoing.”
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