Direct democracy is a wonderful thing;  when citizens are directly able to cause change in the policy process, the full meaning of democracy comes forth.  Citizen initiatives and constitutional amendments are a vital vehicle for people to connect with their government and in the state of Florida, they have been more and more common.

With very little leadership in Florida politics since the early 1990s, the citizens of Florida have stepped up on a local level to enact change. What we see is an unprecedented leap forward in direct democracy in Florida through Constitutional Amendments, citizen initiatives, and local ballot issues.

Here is what the Squeeze recommends:

Amendments:

YES ON AMENDMENT ONE –  The Legislature has failed to properly fund environmental initiatives for years and this will make sure environmental funding is a priority for the state for the next 20 years.  While the Republican leadership points directly to the recession, the state is at a record surplus, yet the funding levels have yet to be restored.   This is essential to protect the environment in Florida.

YES ON AMENDMENT TWO – While it does need to be clear that this is an amendment for medical marijuana and not  recreational use, again this seems like almost just common sense.   Marijuana is a safer and more effective alternative to many heavy narcotic pain killers and there are real benefits for people with long-term issues, such as epilepsy.   While Florida will still have to battle out recreational use, this is a step in the right direction.

NO ON AMENDMENT THREE – This is a vast increase in the amount of power that the governor has over judicial nominees. This isn’t a good idea in any way, shape, or form, especially with Rick Scott putting people on the bench.  Oh-so-very-very-very no on this one.

There are also several local ballot initiatives that are worth endorsing around the state:

Marion County – YES on the one mil for school’s tax.   Schools in Marion County are in a desperate situation and a huge round of applause goes out to Ray Seaman for organizing around this effort to inject some much-needed funds into Marion’s school system.

Alachua County – YES on the Road surtax.   As in many places around the state, there is a huge backlog of infrastructure maintenance that needs to happen – this tax will address that in a fair and balanced manner for both car travel and expanded public transportation.

Leon County – YES on Ethics Reform.   Endorsed by a coalition led by Integrity Florida and the League of Women Voters, this ballot measure will bring increased scrutiny and transparency to Leon County politics.

Clay County – NO on Appointment of Superintendent of School.   Currently most districts around the state do appoint a superintendent of schools, however, with Clay County’s hyper-partisan religious school board, the decision is best in the hands of the voters.

Orange County – YES on Partisan Elections.   In numerous academic studies, partisan elections increase voter participation.

Pinellas County –  YES on Greenlight Pinellas.  Our state is sorely behind on public transportation options and this would help bring a small part of the state in the right direction.   Although much more is needed, this is an excellent start.

St Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward County – YES on Children’s Service Council re-authorization. These local councils are doing good work and need to be reauthorized.

Broward County- YES on School Bonds – Honestly this is a difficult one because the Broward School District has proven untrustworthy with oversight of public money in the recent past. Still the money is sorely needed in one of the nation’s ten-largest largest school system.