Florida Amendment 2, Educational Bonds Amendment (1948)

Florida Amendment 2
Election date November 2, 1948
Topic Bond issue requirements and Bond issues
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Florida Amendment 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Florida on November 2, 1948. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported allowing for the issuance of bonds for educational purposes.

A “no” vote opposed allowing for the issuance of bonds for educational purposes.

Election results

Florida Amendment 2
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		59,210	24.61%
No		181,427	75.39%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Amendment 2 was as follows:

“

NO. 2 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ARTICLE XII, SECTION 17 A proposed amendment of Section 17 of Article XII, authorizing the legislature to provide for the issuance of bonds by county boards of education for use of schools when approved by a majority of the voters in an election wherein a majority of the freeholders shall participate, limiting the total of such county school bonds to 15% of assessed value of property, limiting time bonds may run, and providing for a special tax to pay principal and interest thereon; also authorizing additional bonds to be known as Special Capital Outlay bonds by the county boards of education under specified limitation, provided such indebtedness, including other school indebtedness, shall not exceed 20% of assessed value of property, and providing for the payment of principal and interest thereon, from describe revenues and the such bonds shall not be debts of the State of Florida.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Constitutional changes

Section 17. (a) the Legislature may provide for the issuance by the county board of education of each county of bonds for the exclusive use of the public free schools within the county, whenever the same shall have been approved by a majority of the votes cast in an election in which a majority of the freeholders who are qualified electors residing in such county shall participate, but no bonds shall be issued hereunder which, together with the school indebtedness of such county including special tax school district indebtedness incurred prior to the adoption of this amendment and indebtedness incurred under the provisions of this paragraph, shall exceed fifteen percent of the assessed value of the taxable property of the county according to the last assessment for county purposes prior to the issuance of such bonds. Any bonds issued hereunder shall become payable serially within not to exceed twenty-five years from the date of issuance as prescribed by the Legislature. Whenever any county has voted in favor of the issuance of such bonds a special tax for the payment of the interest on said bonds and the principal thereof as the same shall become due and payable shall be levied on the taxable property within the county in accordance with law providing for the levy of taxes and such tax shall not be applied to any purpose other than the payment of the principal and interest of said bonds. (b) In addition to the bonds authorized in paragraph (a) above, and subject to the limitations and provisions thereof and of Section 6 of Article IX of the Constitution of Florida, the Legislature may also provide for the issuance of Special Capital Outlay bonds by county boards of education for school capital outlay projects hereafter acquired or constructed, but said bonds shall be limited to projects and amounts approved by the State Board of Education as prescribed by law and shall become payable serially as prescribed by law within not to exceed twenty years from the date of issuance; Provided, that no Special Capital Outlay bonds shall be issued hereunder which, together with the school indebtedness of such county including special tax school district indebtedness, shall exceed twenty per cent of the assessed value of the taxable property of such county according to the last assessment for county purposes prior to the issuance of such Special Capital Outlay Bonds. The principal of and interest on such special bonds shall be payable from a fund established in each county comprised of monies authorized and apportioned by the Legislature for school capital outlay and debt service purposes and monies provided by the county from county school revenue sources including ad valorem taxes, as authorized or required by the Legislature subject to the limitations of the Constitution relating to ad valorem taxes for school purposes. Such bonds shall not be bonds or debts of the state of Florida or enforceable against the credit or taxing power of the State.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Florida Constitution

A 60% vote was required during one legislative session for the Florida State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounted to a minimum of 51 votes in the Florida House of Representatives and 18 votes in the Florida State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. Amendments on the ballot required a simple majority vote in this year.

See also

1948 Measures

• 1948 Measures
• Bond issue requirements on the ballot
• Public education funding on the ballot
• Bond issues on the ballot
• 1948 legislative sessions

Florida

• Florida ballot measures
• Florida ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Florida Constitution Revision Commission, "Florida's Constitutions: The Documentary History"
• The Independent, "Study This Ballot -- You Vote on It Tuesday," November 1, 1948