Floridians decide fate of the state’s Constitution Revision Commission in November’s election

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCJB) -What will appear as Amendment Two on the 2022 ballot would repeal the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a panel that meets every 20 years and has the power to propose ballot measures. The 37-member commission drew the ire of lawmakers in 2018 after it placed a series of issues on the ballot that touched on issues ranging from new ethics standards for public officials to a ban on greyhound racing.

The commission’s members are appointed by the Governor, legislative leaders, the Supreme Court Chief Justice and Attorney General. In part, the 2018 controversy centered on it creating “bundled” ballot proposals that tied together seemingly unrelated topics, such as one proposal to ban offshore oil drilling and indoor vaping. State Representative Mike Beltran sponsored the proposal aimed at repealing the commission.

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”The Constitution should not be amended lightly. It should be hard to amend the Constitution. It’s hard to make law, and it should be even harder to amend the Constitution,” said Beltran. “The CRC bundled, for example, vaping and offshore drilling. Well, what if you like to vape but you don’t want to offshore drill, or what if you want to offshore drill but you don’t think people should vaping? Well, now you have got to vote for both or none.”

Opponents of the proposed amendment argue that eliminating the panel will make it harder for citizen voices to be heard.

Beyond the CRC, ballot measures also can be proposed by the Legislature, through citizens’ initiatives and by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which also meets every 20 years. To pass, the Amendment needs the support of more than 60 percent of those voting in November.

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