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TALLAHASSEE - The right of Floridians to change the state Constitution by petition drive needs to be reined in, Senate President Jim King said Wednesday.
And he hopes lawmakers come up with changes before the 2004 election.
King, R-Jacksonville, appointed a special committee to propose reforms. House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, had already taken that step.
Gov. Jeb Bush urged lawmakers this spring to take steps to reduce the number of voter-approved changes to the state Constitution, saying he would support letting voters use the ballot to make changes to statutes as an alternative.
Most changes in how citizen initiatives work would probably have to be approved by voters.
Old face for a new seat?MIAMI - Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith said Wednesday he may launch a campaign to return to the U.S. Senate - representing Florida.
Smith, 62, a Republican who moved to Sarasota last spring, said he has been encouraged by friends to seek Bob Graham's seat. "I'm going to take a look at it, a very serious look at it and probably make a final decision in the next two weeks at the most," Smith said. Smith, who now works as a real estate specialist, served two terms in the Senate before he was defeated by New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu in last year's primary.