A declaration to save Florida’s Constitution
WHEREAS, the Florida Constitution is a revered document, reserved for the people of the
State of Florida to enshrine within it their fundamental rights and matters concerning the form and function of their state government; and
WHEREAS, the process by which proposals are put forth to amend the Florida Constitution should include a level of transparency that allows for an expression of the will of the people, and engagement by the elected representatives with whom the people of Florida have placed their sacred trust; and
WHEREAS, the State of Florida is the only state that allows a Constitution Revision Commission to periodically place proposed constitutional amendments directly on the ballot; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission is not an elected body and, therefore, its members are not accountable to the electorate of the state; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission has become a tool of special interest groups to insert self-serving ideas into our Constitution that they are unable to pass through the legislative process with open debate and discussion: and
WHEREAS, the people of Florida are confronted with intentionally confusing, misleading and politically driven constitutional amendments, proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission, that were promoted by special interest groups; and
WHEREAS, the subject matter of nearly every proposed constitutional amendment advanced by the Constitution Revision Commission does not belong in the Florida Constitution; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Constitution should not be a repository for ideas that are unable to survive the Legislative process and which, for the most part, are not even constitutional in nature; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission persistently acts beyond the scope of its granted authority to make “its proposal, if any, of a revision to this Constitution.”
NOW, THEREFORE, we, as former state legislators and elected representatives of the people of the Great State of Florida, who still affirm our oath to support, protect, and defend the Florida Constitution, believe it is our solemn duty and obligation to inform, educate and expose to the voters of Florida the flagrant breach of authority routinely carried out by the Constitution Revision Commission, and to advise and encourage all Floridians to vote YES on Amendment 2 to abolish this ill-advised and misguided body.
Jeff Kottkamp served as Florida’s lieutenant governor from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Save My Constitution coalition, a group of 18 former Florida state legislators dedicated to preserving and protecting the Florida Constitution.