Crowley Political Report

The Legislature will remain in Republican hands so those 18 appointments will come from the GOP. And while Jennings and Webster were conservative moderates, today’s legislative leadership is more conservative, less moderate.

Should Rick Scott win a second term, he would appoint 15 members, naming one of them chairman. That gives Republican overwhelming control of the next Commission with 33 appointments. Add Pam Bondi, who is likely to win a second term as Attorney General, and the GOP total comes to 34. The remaining three commissioners would be appointed by the Chief Justice.

The 2017 Constitutional Revision Commission has the potential of allowing Florida Republicans to make significant changes to Florida’s constitution while the only thing Democrats could do would be sit back and watch.

Of course nothing happens without voter approval in November 2018 – when either Rick Scott is ending his second term or Charlie Crist is running for reelection.

In 1997, Webster and Jennings offered this advice to the newly appointed Commission chaired by the late Dexter Douglass.

''Review carefully. Review rigorously. But revise cautiously. Maybe the best revision is no revision,'' said Webster.

''We should not be predisposed to change,'' said Jennings. ''Just because the constitution says we should have a Constitution Revision Commission every 20 years, we should not immediately believe that it is important to change that basic document.''

The Commission did make changes. Voters approved all but one.

Here are the key amendments that were on 1998 ballot:

Conservation Of Natural Resources And Creation Of Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission.—Requires adequate provision for conservation of natural resources; creates Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, granting it the regulatory and executive powers of the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and the Marine Fisheries Commission; removes legislature's exclusive authority to regulate marine life and grants certain powers to new commission; authorizes bonds to continue financing acquisition and improvement of lands for conservation, outdoor recreation, and related purposes; restricts disposition of state lands designated for conservation purposes  PASSED 72 PERCENT

Public Education Of Children.—Declares the education of children to be a fundamental value of the people of Florida; establishes adequate provision for education as a paramount duty of the state; expands constitutional mandate requiring the state to make adequate provision for a uniform system of free public schools by also requiring the state to make adequate provision for an efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system. PASSED 71 PERCENT

Restructuring The State Cabinet.—Merges cabinet offices of treasurer and comptroller into one chief financial officer; reduces cabinet membership to chief financial officer, attorney general, agriculture commissioner; secretary of state and education commissioner eliminated from elected cabinet; secretary of state duties defined by law; changes composition of state board of education from governor and cabinet to board appointed by governor; board appoints education commissioner; defines state board of administration, trustees of internal improvement trust fund, land acquisition trust fund. PASSED 56 PERCENT

Basic Rights.—Defines "natural persons," who are equal before the law and who have inalienable rights, as "female and male alike;" provides that no person shall be deprived of any right because of national origin; changes "physical handicap" to "physical disability" as a reason that people are protected from being deprived of any right. PASSED 66 PERCENT

Local And Municipal Property Tax Exemptions And Citizen Access To Local Officials.—Broadens tax exemption for governmental uses of municipal property; authorizes legislature to exempt certain municipal and special district property used for airport, seaport, or public purposes; permits local option tax exemption for property used for conservation purposes; permits local option tangible personal property tax exemption for attachments to mobile homes and certain residential rental furnishings; removes limitations on citizens' ability to communicate with local officials about matters which are the subject of public hearings  FAILED 49.8 PERCENT

Ballot Access, Public Campaign Financing, And Election Process Revisions.—Provides ballot access requirements for independent and minor party candidates cannot be greater than requirements for majority party candidates; allows all voters, regardless of party, to vote in any party's primary election if the winner will have no general election opposition; provides public financing of campaigns for statewide candidates who agree to campaign spending limits; permits candidates for governor to run in primary elections without lieutenant governor; makes school board elections nonpartisan; corrects voting age. PASSED 64 PERCENT

Firearms Purchases: Local Option For Criminal History Records Check And Waiting Period.—Authorizes each county the option of requiring a criminal history records check and waiting period of 3 to 5 days in connection with the "sale" of any firearm; defines "sale" as the transfer of money or other valuable consideration for a firearm where any part of the transaction occurs on property open to public access; does not apply to holders of a concealed weapons permit when purchasing a firearm. PASSED 72 PERCENT

Here is the section of the Florida Constitution requiring the Commission:

SECTION 2. Revision commission.—

(a) Within thirty days before the convening of the 2017 regular session of the legislature, and each twentieth year thereafter, there shall be established a constitution revision commission composed of the following thirty-seven members:

(1) the attorney general of the state;

(2) fifteen members selected by the governor;

(3) nine members selected by the speaker of the house of representatives and nine members selected by the president of the senate; and

(4) three members selected by the chief justice of the supreme court of Florida with the advice of the justices.

(b) The governor shall designate one member of the commission as its chair. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

(c) Each constitution revision commission shall convene at the call of its chair, adopt its rules of procedure, examine the constitution of the state, hold public hearings, and, not later than one hundred eighty days prior to the next general election, file with the custodian of state records its proposal, if any, of a revision of this constitution or any part of it.

Art by Patrick Crowley. All rights reserved.

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