ORLANDO, Fla. — The ACLU of Florida has sued Governor Ron DeSantis to require him to schedule a special election for Senate District 14 after appointing Jay Collins as Lieutenant Governor in August.
The lawsuit alleges that Governor DeSantis violated state law by failing to call an election to fill the vacancy left by Collins, who was appointed on August 12th. The ACLU contends that residents of Hillsborough County’s Senate District 14 have the right to representation in the state legislature.
“What matters is that people have the representation that they elect,” said Nicholas Warren, an attorney for the ACLU of Florida. “So, regardless of what party wins the special election, every citizen in the state has the right to a senator and a representative in the legislature.”
The ACLU’s lawsuit arrives as the 2026 legislative session prepares to start in January, underscoring the need for District 14 voters to be represented in Tallahassee.
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