Home  News National News What’s on the Nov. 4 Ballot?
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What’s on the Nov. 4 Ballot? |
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Written by Sonia Morgan
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Thursday, 17 July 2008 |
Floridians will have a chance to make some changes in the state, or opt to keep things the way they are come November when they cast their ballots. Voters will get to decide whether to further ban gay marriage in the state, swap property taxes with sales tax to foot the bill for public schools or to allow a hurricane tax break. These are among nine issues that will be on the Florida ballot.
Tallahassee’s 25-member Taxation and Budget Reform Commission added another seven to the two previously proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution to be on the November 4 ballot. They need approval by 60 percent of the voters to pass.
Here are the nine amendments for the Nov. 4 ballot:
Amendment 1 – Property Rights for Ineligible Aliens: This removes strict provisions which allow the Legislature to control or prohibit aliens who are ineligible for citizenship from property ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession.
Amendment 2 – Marriage Protection: This proposal essentially further bans same-sex marriage and protects the institution in Florida as a union exclusively between a man and a woman. The amendment seeks to protect against lawsuits and other factors that might ensue if the law is not clearly defined.
Amendment 3 – Hurricane Tax Break: This amendment prevents the Legislature from taxing residential property owners based on value added to their properties from improvements in energy efficiency and wind-storm protection. Therefore, items such as storm shutters and hurricane-resistant shingles, solar water heating systems etc would be excluded from property tax assessments.
Amendment 4 – Tax Exemption for Land Preservation: This allows property tax exemption for lands that are perpetually used for conservation and other conservation lands would be taxed based on current use.
Amendment 5 – Property Tax/Sales Tax Exchange: Property owners would no longer be required to pay school property taxes if this amendment passes. To make up the shortfall, however, the sales tax in Florida, current 6 percent would increase by 1 percentage point.
Amendment 6 – Assessment of Working Waterfront Property: Land used for commercial fishing, marinas, and other "working waterfront" businesses will be assessed and property owners could get a tax relief as the assessment will be based on current use, as opposed to potential use.
Amendment 7 – Religious Freedom: This measure would provide that an individual or entity is not prevented from participating in any public program because of religion and would lift the ban on direct or indirect state financial aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination.
Amendment 8 – Local Option Community Funding: In this proposal, counties would levy a local option sales tax to make up community college funding. The taxes would expire after five years and could be reauthorized by voters.
Amendment 9 – 65 Percent of School Funding For Classroom Instruction: This measure allows the state to order that 65 percent of school funding be dedicated to classroom instruction, instead of administration and also changes a provision of the state Constitution to allocate public funding for private schools through vouchers.
The National Weekly will examine these amendments leading up to the General Elections in November.
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