Deputies from Hardee County and personnel with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement uncovered 194 marijuana plants and 100 pounds of marijuana shake, which is the small leaves, stems and buds that fall off. It can still contain THC and other cannabinoids, making it valuable on the illegal market, according to a Facebook post by deputies.

For years, Floridians have used the ballot initiative process to pass popular measures that have been otherwise stymied by the state’s political leaders. That process is how Florida got its $15 minimum wage,

The Hardee County Sheriff's Office says it has busted a marijuana grow house containing nearly $200,000 worth of plants, along with a “sophisticated" setup that involved stealing utilities.

Recreational marijuana may be making its way back to Florida voters in 2026, following a near-miss in 2024. The push to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over in the state is gaining momentum, but there are several hurdles before it can become law.

Green Thumb Industries, which wants to sell cannabis next to convenience stores in Florida, has filed an appeal after an administrative law judge ruled against it, siding with state health regulators.

The revamped proposal, filed Tuesday at the state Division of Elections by the Smart & Safe Florida committee, would go on the 2026 ballot. It seeks to address a number of issues raised by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who led a drive to defeat last year's proposed constitutional amendment.

Florida cannabis activists have filed a proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational weed, only two months after a similar initiative failed at the polls in November.

The pending petition, in part, questioned state health officials’ position that locating a dispensary adjacent to a convenience store would increase risks of crime

Just months after a Florida marijuana legalization initiative failed at the ballot, the campaign behind the proposal has filed a revised version in hopes of getting a second shot in 2026. Smart & Safe Florida’s 2024 measure did receive a majority of the vote in November,

The original measure left too much not properly spelled out, allowing opponents to raise question in voters’ minds. |

It would allow those who are at least 21 years old to possess up to two ounces of marijuana or five grams in concentrated form.

That gamble is opening Bradenton’s newest pizzeria. Stoner’s Pizza Joint, which was founded in 2013 in Texas, began an expansion process in July, according to a news release. The company announced it would increase its locations from 40 to 100 in 18 months. There are two locations in Hillsborough County.