FL voters will decide the fate of many proposed constitutional amendments in November

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm

Reporter - News Analyst

May 11, 2018 5:45 p.m.

Make sure you bring your reading glasses to the polls on November 6 for the Florida General Election.  Not only will voters be required to cast a ballot for numerous local, state and federal office seekers.  It appears that there could be as many as 13 proposed amendments to the state constitution for voters to consider as well.

Five of these initiatives – 3 that originated in the Legislature and 2 that came from citizen initiatives – have already been approved.   On May 9, 2018, eight additional constitutional revisions were recommended by the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) in its final report to the Florida Secretary of State.

Source: slideplayer.com

Amendments currently approved

The amendments already authorized by the Florida Legislature would affect property taxes and place restrictions on how the Legislature would be able to raise taxes.  The “Homestead Exemption Increase Amendment” would increase the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 in certain instances.  Another amendment proposed by the Legislature proposes a permanent cap on non-homestead assessment increases. The “Supermajority Vote Required to Impose, Authorize or Raise State Taxes or Fees” amendment would increase the majority of votes needed in both the state Senate and House of Representatives to increase taxes or fees, other than corporate taxes, from a simple majority to a supermajority.

Two citizen initiatives, also approved for the ballot, would revise the constitution with respect to restoring voting rights automatically for certain categories of felons who have completed their sentences, and give voters the right to authorize additional casino gambling in the state, thereby taking away this authority from the Legislature.

Amendments proposed by the Constitutional Revision Commission

Once every 20 years, Florida's Constitution provides for the creation of a 37-member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida's Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research and possibly recommending changes to the Constitution. The eight revisions proposed by the CRC are subject to approval by Florida voters statewide on the 2018 General Election ballot.

According to the News Service of Florida, “The eight measures contain 20 potential changes to the state Constitution. Six of the measures group multiple changes in single ballot items, while two measures, dealing with ethics and dog racing, are single-subject items. The eight proposals will join five measures already on the general-election ballot, meaning voters will face 13 proposed constitutional amendments when they go to the polls. It will be the most presented to voters since 1998.”

Revisions proposed by the CRC are provided by brief title below.  For the complete language of each proposed revision, read the final report submitted to the Florida Secretary of State available online at flcrc.gov/Reference (Direct Link: https://bit.ly/2KPgJD0).

Revision 1: Rights of Crime Victims; Judges

Revision 2: First Responder and Military Member Survivor Benefits; Public Colleges and Universities

Revision 3: School Board Term Limits and Duties; Public Schools

Revision 4: Prohibits Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling; Prohibits Vaping in Enclosed Indoor Workplaces

Revision 5:  State and Local Government Structure and Operation

Revision 6: Property Rights; Removal of Obsolete Provision; Criminal Statutes

Revision 7: Lobbying and Abuse of Office by Public Officers

Revision 8: Ends dog racing

Ballot language has not yet been developed for these recommendations.  All proposed changes are subject to review for clarity of ballot language.

Proposed constitutional revisions must secure at least 60 percent voter approval to become law.

CRC Chairman Carlos Beruff, said, “A diverse group of Florida leaders have done a tremendous job representing Floridians. After holding more than 15 public hearings, the most in CRC history, and reviewing thousands of public comments, we submitted a compelling set of transformational proposals that have the potential to benefit Floridians for generations to come. The CRC is giving Floridians the opportunity to vote ‘yes’ on several important issues including ethics reform in government, rights for victims of crime, prohibiting oil drilling in state waters, and necessary education reforms. I commend my fellow Commissioners for their service and we thank all Floridians who participated in this historic process.”