In the last two issues of CapeStyle, we discussed the importance of the upcoming mid-term elections. On November 6th, we will not only be choosing the next Governor of Florida, we will be deciding the fate of thirteen proposed Constitutional Amendments.
Last month we highlighted Amendments 1-5, which were placed on your ballot either by the Florida Legislature or through the citizens’ initiative process. The remaining eight proposed Constitutional Amendments originated from the Constitutional Revision Commission, which convenes once every twenty years to examine and propose possible changes to the Florida Constitution.
You will find the remaining eight proposed Constitutional Amendments are not single-subject issues. In this issue, we are discussing Amendments 6-9, which contain eleven proposals.
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Amendment 6 would: 1) create constitutional rights for victims of crime, 2) require judges to independently interpret statutes and rules, rather than allowing them to rely on a government agency’s interpretation, and 3) raise the mandatory retirement age of judges from seventy to seventy-five years.
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Amendment 7 would: 1) grant mandatory payment of death benefits to qualifying survivors of first responders and military members who die in the line of duty, 2) require supermajority votes by university trustees and the board of governors to raise fees, and 3) establish the existing state college system as a constitutional entity.
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Amendment 8 would: 1) create term limits of eight consecutive years for school board members, 2) provide for the promotion of civic literacy in public schools, and 3) allow the state to operate public schools not established by a local school board. At the time of publication of this article, however, the fate of Amendment 8 is unknown. In August a Florida circuit judge ordered Amendment 8 be removed from the ballot, and this decision is being appealed by the state.
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Amendment 9 would: 1) prohibit drilling for oil and natural gas in state-owned waters and 2) prohibit the use of vapor-generating electronic devices in enclosed indoor workspaces.
You can learn more about the thirteen proposed Constitutional Amendments by visiting the Florida Department of State’s website, and I encourage you to do so.
Next month well will be discussing the final four proposals – Amendments 10-13.
