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Stop us before we amend again!

By HOWARD TROXLER
Published November 8, 2006

It must have been the pregnant pigs that did it.

By a strong margin, Florida voters on Tuesday said it ought to be harder to change our state Constitution.

We approved Amendment 3, saying that future amendments will need at least 60 percent of the vote to pass.

Voters apparently agreed with the argument that our Constitution has been cluttered with too many petitions that don't belong there, such as a 2002 measure about humane hog farming.

Amendment 3 would have flunked its own test - it didn't quite pass by 60 percent. But it was a clear decision, and a big win for the business groups that paid for the campaign.

It's doubtful that the voters were saying, "Gosh, we want the Legislature and Big Business to have more power, and the voters to have less." My guess is that it was based on the simple principle that a Constitution ought to be a tough thing to change.

But here's betting Tallahassee reads it as greater license to disregard public opinion. Most amendments have passed by more than 60 percent anyway; maybe a higher hurdle will only fire up future campaigns.

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Certainly, not all voters locally were feeling deferential to government. In St. Pete Beach, voters were passing at least four of six measures put on the ballot by petition. The proposals called for direct voter control of future growth decisions, and the repeal of some decisions already made.

Voters showed they knew what they were doing in the stupid fight between Pinellas County and the 24 cities in that county. They picked and chose among seven amendments to the County Charter.

Streamlined mosquito control? Fine. More power for the country administrator? No way. Voters sided with the cities on two proposals, keeping elected officials on the Charter Review Commission, and keeping the right of cities to opt out of some county rules.

On the other hand, the county won two of three proposals making it tougher for the cities to annex territory. So the Great City-County War is decided. Let's hope they stop spending tax dollars on it.

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Quickly:

Most folks figured Ronda Storms would win in State Senate District 10, but not by so narrow a margin. But the voters strongly endorsed a crackdown on adult businesses in Hillsborough County, so her legacy lives on.

Did the negative campaign in Senate District 16 backfire against Kim Berfield more than it hurt Charlie Justice?

One state House seat to change parties locally was in District 52 in St. Petersburg, where Democrat Bill Heller won. Credit community ties and years of goodwill from his university-official days.

And no matter how credible Joe Redner is on the issues, and no matter how many times he runs, his loss in a Hillsborough County Commission race shows he'll always be The Guy Who Owns Mons Venus.

[Last modified November 8, 2006, 02:56:56]