Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschDecember 10, 2017

A coalition of progressive and open government organizations is again taking the state’s Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) to task, this time for “glaring examples of rule violations” and calling the panel’s conduct “a travesty.” Leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Florida First Amendment Foundation, the League of Women Voters Florida and […]

Guest AuthorDecember 5, 2017

There is no place for special favors in our state’s basic charter, the Florida Constitution. Every provision in that document should benefit all of us equally, and officials working to revise the Constitution should be above any action designed to profit one group over another. In today’s charged political environment, the public has a right […]

Peter SchorschDecember 2, 2017

If you fly in and out of Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) this holiday season, you may have cause to panic. A staffing snafu has left thousands of American Airlines flights without pilots and in danger of cancellation. But the airline is reassuring passengers that their holiday season travel plans are still good to go. While […]

Jim RosicaNovember 30, 2017

A proposed constitutional amendment to end greyhound racing in the state unanimously cleared its first committee Thursday. That was right after its sponsor, Commissioner Tom Lee, delivered a fiery speech on the power of—and oncoming peril to—his proposal. Mira, a 7-year-old greyhound and former racing dog, lay a few feet away. “You haven’t heard from […]

Jim RosicaNovember 29, 2017

A member of the Constitution Revision Commission says he’s become the victim of a “smear campaign” after proposing a constitutional amendment creating a “bill of rights” for nursing home and assisted living facility residents. On Wednesday, Conwell Hooper, head of an Atlanta-based group called the American Senior Alliance, issued a press release that he had […]

Jim RosicaNovember 29, 2017

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Candidates for legislative office would have to live in their districts when they qualify to run under a constitutional change cleared Wednesday. The Constitution Revision Commission‘s Legislative Committee OK’d the proposal (P50), filed by Commissioner and former state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, unanimously and without debate. Diaz also chairs the committee. The constitution now says a […]

Ana CeballosNovember 28, 2017

A review panel is flirting with the idea of implementing a vexed employment verification system into the state constitution to weed out undocumented immigrants before they enter the workforce. The proposal (P29) cleared the Constitution Revision Commission’s General Provisions Committee on Tuesday, following a long stretch of public comment with clashing viewpoints on the federal […]

Jim RosicaNovember 28, 2017

Business interests brought out a panoply of former state officials, judges and others Tuesday to heap criticism on a proposed state constitutional amendment to expand the right to bring environmental-related lawsuits. But one environmental advocate countered there was no potential for a “parade of horribles” to come out of the amendment. The Florida Chamber of […]

Jim RosicaNovember 28, 2017

A review panel has killed a proposed constitutional amendment that would have added financial oversight duties to the state’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The proposal (P68), filed by Commissioner Tom Lee, died on a tie vote in the Constitution Revision Commission‘s Executive Committee on Tuesday as some panel members raised fiscal and legal questions. A parliamentary […]

Scott PowersNovember 27, 2017

A coalition of mostly conservative organizations is joining former state Rep. Neil Combee to push a proposal from the Florida Constitution Revision Commission that would allow lawmakers to make new criminal statutes retroactive. CRC Proposal 20 would repeal Article X, section 9 of the Florida Constitution, which dates back to 1885. Called the “Savings Clause,” the law […]

Tag: Constitution Revision Commission
Aerial photo courtesy Jesse Biter.

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A ‘travesty’ in Tallahassee?

Emmett Reed: Constitution is no place for special favors for clients or friends

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Stuck in TLH with you?

Greyhound racing ban clears first CRC committee

Brecht Heuchan says ethics complaint is part of ‘smear campaign

Constitutional change on candidate residency OK’d by panel

Mandating E-Verify in state constitution eyed by commissioners

Business interests lambaste environmental amendment

Tom Lee’s proposal to augment CFO duties dies in committee

Constitution revision would allow retroactive criminal law changes