November 13, 2006

ISSUE 1141

VICTORY FOR PROPERTY RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY - FLORIDA HOUSE DEMOCRATS INCREASE NUMBERS

Florida voters Tuesday (November 7) supported all six constitutional amendments offered in the mid-term election. Of great importance was Amendment 3, which will make it more difficult for voters to change the State Constitution. Instead of a simple majority, 60 percent of voters will now have to approve proposed amendments. Ironically, if the 60 percent requirement had been in place Tuesday, this amendment would have failed, since it only received 57.7 percent of the vote.

Another amendment of great interest to the agricultural community was Amendment 8, which prohibits the use of eminent domain to transfer property to private developers unless an exemption is approved by a three-fifths vote in both the Florida House and Senate. Amendment 8 passed by about 69 percent.

“We’re glad to see that the two amendments passed,” said Butch Calhoun, FFVA director, Government Affairs. “We now have more protection against the government taking our land, and it’ll be harder to amend the state’s constitution in the future.”

Both the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate remain largely Republican, with the Senate breakdown remaining at 26 Republicans to 14 Democrats. Democrats, however, gained seven seats in the House: five of those were vacant and two were held by Republican incumbents. Sheri McInvale of Winter Park, who recently changed parties, and Susan Goldstein of Sunrise both lost their re-election bids.

“The significance there is that the Democrats picked up seven seats, which is just enough to block anything that would require a two-thirds vote,” said Calhoun. The House of Representatives breakdown is now 78 Republicans to 42 Democrats.