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Florida Constitution - page 3

Tom Jackson: At our time of choosing, will we guess wrong?

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And so, at last, it is upon us. Election Day. Time, fence-sitters, to decide. Weā€™ve been counting down so long, all the way back to the spring of last year; it sometimes seemed weā€™d never get here. Great nation that we (still) are, however, propelled by momentum and time-honored systems that guide truer than any GPS, weā€™ve navigated the distance: From the GOPā€™s scrum-debates of last fall through the frigid caucuses and first primaries, through the snooze-fest conventions and the…

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Matt Gaetz joins applicants to Rick Scott for CRC position

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The list of applicants to Gov. Rick Scott for a seat on the stateā€™s Constitution Revision Commission continues to grow, now including conservative lawmaker Matt Gaetz. The panel, which reviews the stateā€™s constitution every two decades, is scheduled to convene 30 days before the beginning of the Legislatureā€™s 2017 regular session on March 7. As governor, Scott will choose 15 of the 37 commissioners and selects its chairperson. That means the Naples Republican will indirectly influence the retooling of the…

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Tampa Bay officials, others apply for Constitution Revision Commission

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Nearly 60 people already have applied to Gov. Rick Scott for a seat on the panel that reviews the state’s constitution every two decades. According to a list the governor’s office released Wednesday, among those seeking to be onĀ theĀ Constitution Revision CommissionĀ are: Frederick Brummer, a Republican former lawmaker and pastĀ Orange County commissioner. KurtĀ Browning, a former secretary of state and currently Pasco schools superintendent. Rich Crotty, a veteran Republican politico from Orange County who was in the Legislature and served as Orange…

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Why 5 former Florida Supreme Court justices oppose Amendment 2

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As former Florida Supreme Court Justices, we once took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the State of Florida. Today, we urge all Floridians to protect and defend our constitution by once again voting ā€œNoā€ on Amendment 2. The amendmentā€™s sponsors say they fixed the problems that caused Floridians to reject a similar amendment two years ago. We have read this revised amendment and have studied its impact. This amendment is still defective and again should be…

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Court blocks Rick Scott from picking judge

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Gov. Rick Scott won’t be able to appoint a new judge for the Palm Beach County court, the Florida Supreme CourtĀ decidedĀ Friday. The unanimous decision means Palm Beach voters get to pick a replacement for outgoingĀ County Judge Laura Johnson. She resigned to run for a circuit judgeship. The court relied on its previous decisions toĀ rule that state law “is an exception to the Governorā€™s (constitutional) power of appointment in the context of judicial vacancies.”Ā Normally, state constitutions trump state statutes. TheĀ law in…

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Martin Dyckman: Courts failed organizations that won redistricting fight

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If only the Florida Constitution included a provision like this: (1) Members of the Legislature who vote for measures subsequently held unconstitutional shall be liable jointly and severally for all attorney fees and costs as established by the court. (2) Failure to pay such liabilities within 60 days of final judgment shall constitute disqualification for re-election or election to another office. That is, to be sure, as far-fetched a dream as hitting the Powerball, if not more so. But it’s…

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Pam Bondi goes to Nevada

Drawing on lessons learned after a nightclub massacre last year in Orlando, Attorney General Pam Bondi and members of her

Bob Graham weighs in against expanding slot machines

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Former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham on Monday filed his friend-of-the-court brief with the state Supreme Court, arguing against the expansion of slot machines. Graham’s brief is for a Gadsden County case in which the operators of a racetrack in Gretna say they should be allowed to also offer slot machines because voters approved them in a local referendum in 2012. Ultimately, though, theĀ question before the justicesĀ is whether slot machines are allowed at all outside South Florida in…

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