Florida Voter Sues Governor Ron DeSantis for Failing to Call Special Election for Vacant State Senate Seat

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Tampa voter to compel Governor Ron DeSantis to fulfill his constitutional obligation to call a special election to fill the vacancy in Florida State Senate District 14.

The vacancy arose after Governor DeSantis appointed Senator Jay Collins to be Florida’s lieutenant governor on August 12, 2025. The constituents in District 14 now lack representation in the Florida Senate, just as the Legislature is set to consider legislation during interim committee weeks beginning October 6, ahead of the 2026 legislative session. Despite the urgency, Governor DeSantis has not yet called a special election—over six weeks after Collins resigned.

The lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, alleges that Governor DeSantis has violated his mandatory duty under the Florida Constitution and state law by failing to call a special election. Historically, Florida governors have acted within a week of a resignation to ensure timely representation for constituents. The governor’s inaction, the lawsuit contends, breaks with this precedent, effectively disenfranchising voters in Senate District 14.

Cort Lippe, a South Tampa resident and plaintiff in the lawsuit, stated: “Tampa deserves full representation in the Legislature. By refusing to call a special election, the governor is denying us that right and ignoring decades of established precedent. It’s illegal and wrong.”

This is not the first time Governor DeSantis has failed to call a special election. Earlier this year and in 2023, the ACLU of Florida filed similar lawsuits when Governor DeSantis failed to call elections for vacant legislative seats in Northwest Florida, Brevard County, and Miami-Dade County. The governor only set the elections after the suits were filed. Separately, in 2021, voters in three State House districts and one congressional district were forced to sue after prolonged delays in calling elections for vacant seats.

Nicholas Warren, Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Florida, expressed deep concern over the governor’s repeated delays: “I’m not sure why the governor proves himself repeatedly unwilling to call timely special elections. His predecessors like Jeb Bush and Rick Scott always acted swiftly to ensure citizens retained their voice in government. Governor DeSantis’s refusal to follow their example is not just concerning, it’s also against the law.”

The lawsuit recounts that governors prior to DeSantis usually took less than five days to call special elections. But routinely, Governor DeSantis takes weeks and sometimes months.

Kara Gross, the ACLU of Florida’s Legislative Director and Senior Policy Counsel, called on the Legislature to take action: “The Legislature must enact mandatory deadlines for calling and holding special elections so that no Floridian is deprived of representation longer than necessary. Earlier this year, a bill to do exactly that (SB 1556) did not even get a hearing. Lawmakers should take up this measure in their upcoming session.”

Senate District 14 covers portions of Hillsborough County including South Tampa, West Tampa, Town ‘n’ Country, and Lutz.

The complaint in Lippe v. DeSantis can be viewed below.