Voice your opinion on conservation, medical marijuana, judicial appointments and Greenlight Pinellas
by Mitch PerryAMENDMENT 1: Water and Land Conservation
What it does: Dedicates 33 percent of all monies received from document stamp taxes on real estate sales to acquire and restore Florida conservation and recreation lands.
Vote yes if… you want to ensure that funds are available for acquisition and preservation of Florida land, a move supported by the Sierra Club and virtually every other environmental group in Florida. Governors Bob Martinez and Jeb Bush instituted land-buying programs during their tenures, but funding for Bush’s Florida Forever was slashed in 2009.
Vote no if… you fear that this would decrease legislative flexibility in budgeting (or that legislators would use it as an excuse not to spend additional money on conservation). Or vote no if you just don’t believe such a program should be enshrined in the state constitution.
AMENDMENT 2: Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions
What it does: Allows the medical use of marijuana for individuals with debiilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician.
Vote yes if… you believe that Florida should join 23 other states and the District of Columbia in offering a legal remedy to provide pain relief for those afflicted with a variety of ailments.
Vote no if… you believe that this shouldn’t be in the state constitution. Even critics who support medical pot find the amendment shoddily constructed, and say it’d be better for the Legislature to craft a bill. But obviously there is no appetite in Tallahassee to do that, although earlier this year they did pass what is known as “Charlotte’s Web,” a non-euphoric breed of medical marijuana designed to treat Florida patients with epilepsy and other neurological disorders. But critics claim that this strain of low-level THC is too weak to help most cancer sufferers.
AMENDMENT 3: Prospective Appointment of Certain Judicial Vacancies
What it does: This would allow a governor whose term is expiring to name justices as he or she is going out the door. Observers say that it’s designed explicitly for a departing Rick Scott in 2018 to make appointments as his second term ends.
Vote yes if… you agree with the Florida Chamber of Commerce. According to the Chamber, this amendment “clarifies existing constitutional language to specify that the outgoing governor appoints incoming Florida Supreme Court Justices and district court of appeal judges if a vacancy occurs at the same time as the outgoing governor’s term ends.”
Vote No if…you agree with former Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead. According to Anstead, supporters of the amendment are conjuring up an “imaginary” constitutional crisis as “thin cover for continued improper political interference in our courts.”
REFERENDUM QUESTION: 1% Sales surtax to Fund GREENLIGHT PINELLAS PLAN FOR Public Transit
What it does: The Greenlight Pinellas plan would enhance bus service by 65 percent in the county, and would allow for the start of construction of the Bay area’s first light-rail network, a 24-mile, 16-station line running from St. Petersburg to Clearwater. To pay for it, the sales tax in Pinellas would rise from 7 to 8 cent on purchases of most items (it would not apply to food, medicine and medical supplies, prescription eyeglasses and baby food). The measure includes a tax swap, with homeowners no longer having a portion of their property taxes go to PSTA, the county’s transit agency.
Vote yes if…You agree that transit improvements are vital to the region’s economic vitality, and that the 1-cent sales tax increase is a small price to pay.
Vote no if… You believe not enough riders use transit to warrant such an investment, or that the 1-cent sales tax hike is extreme.
(St. Petersburg only)
What it does: Dedicates 33 percent of all monies received from document stamp taxes on real estate sales to acquire and restore Florida conservation and recreation lands.
Vote yes if… you want to ensure that funds are available for acquisition and preservation of Florida land, a move supported by the Sierra Club and virtually every other environmental group in Florida. Governors Bob Martinez and Jeb Bush instituted land-buying programs during their tenures, but funding for Bush’s Florida Forever was slashed in 2009.
Vote no if… you fear that this would decrease legislative flexibility in budgeting (or that legislators would use it as an excuse not to spend additional money on conservation). Or vote no if you just don’t believe such a program should be enshrined in the state constitution.
AMENDMENT 2: Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions
What it does: Allows the medical use of marijuana for individuals with debiilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician.
Vote yes if… you believe that Florida should join 23 other states and the District of Columbia in offering a legal remedy to provide pain relief for those afflicted with a variety of ailments.
Vote no if… you believe that this shouldn’t be in the state constitution. Even critics who support medical pot find the amendment shoddily constructed, and say it’d be better for the Legislature to craft a bill. But obviously there is no appetite in Tallahassee to do that, although earlier this year they did pass what is known as “Charlotte’s Web,” a non-euphoric breed of medical marijuana designed to treat Florida patients with epilepsy and other neurological disorders. But critics claim that this strain of low-level THC is too weak to help most cancer sufferers.
AMENDMENT 3: Prospective Appointment of Certain Judicial Vacancies
What it does: This would allow a governor whose term is expiring to name justices as he or she is going out the door. Observers say that it’s designed explicitly for a departing Rick Scott in 2018 to make appointments as his second term ends.
Vote yes if… you agree with the Florida Chamber of Commerce. According to the Chamber, this amendment “clarifies existing constitutional language to specify that the outgoing governor appoints incoming Florida Supreme Court Justices and district court of appeal judges if a vacancy occurs at the same time as the outgoing governor’s term ends.”
Vote No if…you agree with former Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead. According to Anstead, supporters of the amendment are conjuring up an “imaginary” constitutional crisis as “thin cover for continued improper political interference in our courts.”
REFERENDUM QUESTION: 1% Sales surtax to Fund GREENLIGHT PINELLAS PLAN FOR Public Transit
What it does: The Greenlight Pinellas plan would enhance bus service by 65 percent in the county, and would allow for the start of construction of the Bay area’s first light-rail network, a 24-mile, 16-station line running from St. Petersburg to Clearwater. To pay for it, the sales tax in Pinellas would rise from 7 to 8 cent on purchases of most items (it would not apply to food, medicine and medical supplies, prescription eyeglasses and baby food). The measure includes a tax swap, with homeowners no longer having a portion of their property taxes go to PSTA, the county’s transit agency.
Vote yes if…You agree that transit improvements are vital to the region’s economic vitality, and that the 1-cent sales tax increase is a small price to pay.
Vote no if… You believe not enough riders use transit to warrant such an investment, or that the 1-cent sales tax hike is extreme.
(St. Petersburg only)