The Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, established to review the state constitution and recommend changes to be placed on the ballot for voters’ consideration, is considering up to 103 proposed changes. While it is unlikely so many will make it onto the ballot in November, we are following to see which are the most likely to emerge and be placed before voters.
Of the 103 proposals, 15 have been approved by various subcommittees and moved to a “Second Reading” status. Of course others may move forward at a later date, and while a subcommittee passage does not imply ultimate passage before the whole commission, this list does provide a sense of the committees early priorities.
Proposal 3 — Repeals Florida’s Alien Land Law.
Proposal 9 — Requiring Legislature to provide for the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, of which the Governor and Cabinet is the head.
Proposal 12 — Deletes an obsolete section of the Constitution pertaining to high speed transportation which was repealed in 2004.
Proposal 13 — Requires Constitutional officers (Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Clerk of Circuit Court) be elected by the voters of the county and prevents counties from abolishing the offices or creating alternative means of electing. This would essentially overturn what occurred in Orange County where voters made the offices non partisan and established term limits.
Proposal 20 — Criminal justice reform which allows the legislature to apply modern sentencing standards to convicts.
Proposal 33 – Requires the Superintendent of a public school system be appointed by the school board, and not elected.
Proposal 37 — Prohibits naming buildings, roads, programs and other things after elected officials while they are still alive.
Proposal 41 — Increases the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75.
Proposal 43 — Creates a two (2) four-year term limits for school boards.
Proposal 49 — Establishes certain rights to death benefits for survivors of certain first responders and military members.
Proposal 50 — Requires that a candidate for the legislature resides within the district at the time of qualifying, instead of upon election.
Proposal 54 — Lifts restrictions on the number of hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, or intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and prohibits the state from limiting the number of those facilities.
Proposal 65 — Prohibits vaping in indoor workplaces where tobacco is prohibited.
Proposal 72 — Prohibits the legislature from increasing taxes without a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
Proposal 103 — Sets the lime of the legislative session to be the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January on each even numbered year.
