Florida TaxWatch recommendations on proposed 2020 Amendments to State Constitution

From the 2020 Florida TaxWatch Voter Guide
September 19, 2020

On November 3, 2020, Floridians will vote on six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. This Florida TaxWatch Voter Guide is designed to provide Florida voters with information about each of the amendments to help them cast well-informed votes.

Proposed constitutional amendments numbers 1 through 4, which deal with citizenship requirements to vote, minimum wage, voting in primary elections, and voter approval of constitutional amendments, respectively, have been placed on the November ballot by citizens’ initiatives.

Proposed constitutional amendments numbers 5 and 6, which deal with the transfer of homestead property tax discounts and the transfer of Save Our Homes portability, respectively, have been placed on the November ballot by joint resolutions of the Florida Legislature.

In introducing this year’s guide, Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of TaxWatch, wrote:

“In deciding which proposed amendments to approve, voters must consider the nature and purpose of a state constitution. A state’s constitution is the state’s fundamental law and, as such, it must be carefully and thoughtfully amended. The contents of the Florida Constitution should be limited to matters that are essential or fundamental. Florida’s Constitution should, above all else, clearly define the relationship between government and those that are governed.

“A proposed amendment may very well be a good idea, but voters must ask themselves “does it belong in the constitution, or should it be adopted as a Florida statute?” The constitution loses much of its significance as the foundation of government when the process of constitutional amendment is used as a substitute for legislation.

“Once incorporated, it is extremely difficult to remove what is essentially a statutory provision from the constitution. The only option is to amend the constitution, which requires a 60 percent supermajority approval by Florida voters. The briefer and more concise the constitution, the more likely it is to be understood by the taxpayer.”

A brief summary of each proposed Amendment is provided below.   The complete guide may be downloaded at https://floridataxwatch.org/research/2020-voter-guide.  The TaxWatch Guide provides a background and analysis of each amendment, along with conclusions and recommendations.  TaxWatch recommends voting NO on Amendments 1 and 2; YES on Amendments 3-6.