Jim Rosica
The chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, who’s also a candidate for state Agriculture Commissioner, is slamming a proposed constitutional amendment.
Denise Grimsley, a Lake Placid Republican, wrote a letter Thursday to Bill Schifino, head of the Constitution Revision Commission‘s Judicial Committee.
The panel is considering a proposed amendment that has caused angst among business interests because it expands the right to bring environmental-related lawsuits. The measure (P23) will be considered by Schifino’s committee Friday.
It “would unleash a no-holds-barred wave of interventionism and frivolous lawsuits that I know my own farming operation would be unable to fend off,” Grimsley wrote. “It stands to undermine environmental gains and rolls out a red carpet to the court system for anyone with an ax to grind, regardless of legal standing or science.
“Imagine the unintended consequences of freezing permitting processes and clogging the courts with challenges that could paralyze the ability of farms – and all small businesses for that matter – from operating with any shred of predictability,” she added.
“… I urge you and your fellow committee members to oppose Proposal 23 and support the hard work of those who raise the crops, feed our families and manage the resource with integrity.”
It’s also opposed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida.
