Florida Board of Drainage Commissioners Amendment (1906)

Florida Board of Drainage Commissioners Amendment
Election date November 6, 1906
Topic Administration of government and Environment
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Florida Board of Drainage Commissioners Amendment was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Florida on November 6, 1906. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported creating a Board of Drainage Commissioners to manage swamps and overflowed lands.

A “no” vote opposed creating a Board of Drainage Commissioners to manage swamps and overflowed lands.

Election results

Florida Board of Drainage Commissioners Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		8,787	37.30%
No		14,771	62.70%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Board of Drainage Commissioners Amendment was as follows:

“

Constitutional Amendment—Article 16—Relating to the Drainage, reclamation and improvement of the swamp and overflowed lands, the creation of a Board of Drainage Commissioners, prescribing its power and duties.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Constitutional changes

Section 32. The Governor, the Comptroller, the State Treasurer, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of Florida, and their successors in office, are hereby constituted and designated as a board of drainage commissioners, and are hereby authorized and empowered to establish a system of canals, drains, levees, dikes and reservoirs of such dimension and depths, as in the judgment of said board of drainage commissioners is deemed advisable, to drain and reclaim the swamp and overflowed lands within the State of Florida, or such parts or portions thereof as is deemed best by said board of drainage commissioners from time to time, and to provide for the irrigation of the lands reclaimed, and to maintain such canals, drains, levees, dikes, and reservoirs in such manner as will be most advantageous to the territory so drained, the State of Florida, its inhabitants and the commerce thereof. Section 33. That the board of drainage commissioners are* hereby authorized and empowered to establish drainage districts and fix the boundaries thereof in the State of Florida. That the board of drainage commissioners be and it is authorized and empowered to prepare a list or lists of all the alluvial or swamp and overflowed taxable lands within such drainage district or districts, and levy thereon an acreage tax not exceeding ten cents per acre per annum to be fixed annually by said board of drainage commissioners, and the various tax assessors of the various counties embraced in part or in whole within such drainage district or districts shall receive such list or lists and enter the same upon the tax rolls of the county or counties in which such lands may lie and the amount so levied by the board of drainage commissioners in such manner and form as may be prescribed by the Board of Drainage Commissioners from time to time, which amounts shall be collected by the various tax collectors of the counties wherein such levies have been made as other taxes are collected in accordance with law, and pay over said amounts collected to the Board of Drainage Commissioners, said commissioners shall have a lien superior to all other liens upon the taxable lands in any such drainage districts to be enforced by tax levy, for the cost of any work done under the provisions hereof, or done, prior to the adoption of this amendment, under the provisions of an act of the Legislature passed in 1905. Section 34. That the Board of Drainage Commissioners be and it is authorized to exercise the right of eminent domain in the condemnation of land for the location of its canals, drains, levees, dikes and reservoirs for the purposes aforesaid and may enter upon, take and use such land as it may, pending condemnation proceedings, deem necessary for such purposes, and in ascertaining the compensation to be paid for such land or right of way, benefits to be derived from such drainage shall be considered by the jury. Section 35. The Legislature may provide for the assessment of benefits derived by lands by reason of such drainage, and the collection thereof; the proceeds therefrom shall be paid to the Board of Drainage Commissioners to be used by them for such drainage purposes.

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

1906 Measures

• 1906 Measures
• Administration of government on the ballot
• Environment on the ballot
• 1906 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 St. Lucie County Tribune, "GENERAL ELECTION," November 2, 1906