ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida voters will decide on three amendments to the state constitution in November’s midterm elections.
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They’re not high-profile changes, but each one could significantly impact the laws Floridians follow, and the taxes they pay.
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One ballot measure offers Florida voters the option to amend the state constitution to eliminate what’s known as the Florida Constitution Revision Commission.
The CRC is an appointed board that only meets once every 20 years to propose changes to the state constitution.
The first time the CRC met, voters rejected all of their recommended changes. The last time it met, in 2017, almost all of the commission’s proposed changes wound up in court.
“A lot of people feel that the state’s constitution should be hard, fast, and something that is almost written in stone,” Former State Legislator Bobby Olszewski said.
Olszewski notes, voters can already amend the constitution through a convention or petition drive, and the legislature can propose its own ballot amendments.
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The CRC is just one extra way to amend the state constitution, and one that’s only existed since the 1970s.
In a twist of irony, Florida voters will have the chance to amend the constitution to eliminate another way to amend it.
There are also two property tax amendments on the ballot. One would prevent property taxes from increasing due to home improvements for flood prevention as a result of climate change.
The other amendment would increase the homestead exemption for teachers, first responders, the military, and those working in child welfare.
They’re all changes that, if approved, would have to be funded by taxes.
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“This is classic politics…who gets what, when, and how,” University of Central Florida Political Science Professor John Hanley said. “There are important questions for the state about what we are going to pay for, and who is going to pay for it.”
Each of the proposed amendments must get 60-percent of the vote in November to pass.
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