BRADENTON – Florida's ConstitutionRevision Commission has settled on eight proposed constitutional amendments to be decided by voter referendum on this November's ballot. However, several of the proposals group completely unrelated issues that voters may feel differently about. For example, one asksvoters to ban both offshore oil drilling and vaping in workplaces.
What if you're in favor of one and against the other, you might ask. Too bad, you only get to vote the same way on both.Combined with the proposed constitutional amendments that have been approved by the legislature, as well as those that will appear via citizen petition initiatives, the total number of questions for constitutional measures on the ballot will be 13. If there were no combined issues, there would be 25, which the CRC said would make for more lengthy ballots, that frustrate voters.
But opponents argue that the grouped issues will confuse voters and that some appear to have been done strategically, pairing a very popular issue with one less likely to pass, to improve the latter's chances. In other cases there are essentially three complicated issues. For example, one referendum would require a supermajority trustee vote before public universities can raise fees, while also offering greater benefits for first responders and military members, and putting the state college system into the Florida Constitution.
Local developer Carlos Beruff, who was handpicked by Governor Rick Scott to chair the CRC, said he was pleased with the final outcome.
"For more than a year, Commissioners have traveled across the state to speak directly with citizens about the changes they want to see in the Florida Constitution," said Beruff in a press release. "After months of in-depth research and debate, the CRC has narrowed down thousands of comments and ideas into eight final revisions for voter consideration. From protecting our state and territorial waters from oil drilling to strengthening our ethics laws, I commend my fellow Commissioners for their hard work and leadership representing the people of Florida. We are grateful to the thousands of Floridians who participated in this historic process and look forward to letting voters have the final say in November."
Below are the eight ballot initiatives approved by the CRC. Click on the links to read the full question.
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