Florida Constitution Revision Commission

2018 Florida Ballot Measures
Florida CRC
2018 Proposals
Ballot Measures
Amendment 1
Amendment 2
Amendment 3
Amendment 4
Amendment 5

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution. Florida is the only state with a commission empowered to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot.

Other methods for amending the Florida Constitution include citizen initiatives, legislative referrals, and constitutional conventions. Whereas the meeting of the CRC is automatic and members are appointed, electors vote on whether to hold a constitutional convention and elect the convention delegates.

Structure

Membership

The CRC has 37 members, who are referred to as commissioners. All but one of the commissioners are appointed. Section 2 of Article XI of the Florida Constitution provides for the automatic membership of the state attorney general. Other members are appointed as follows:

• Governor appoints 15 commissioners, including the commission chair.
• President of the Senate appoints nine commissioners.
• Speaker of the House of Representatives appoints nine commissioners.
• Chief justice of the state Supreme Court appoints three commissioners.

Responsibility

Referral of constitutional amendments

The CRC refers constitutional amendments directly to the ballot for a public vote. The Florida Constitution requires the CRC to convene every 20 years on the following schedule: 1977, 1997, 2017, 2037, 2057, and so on. The commission must examine the constitution, hold public hearings, and refer constitutional amendments to the ballot no later than 180 days prior to the election. Beyond what is required in Section 2 of Article XI of the Florida Constitution, the CRC sets its own rules and procedures.

History

Creation (1968)

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (FCRC) is provided for in Section 2 of Article XI of the Florida Constitution. This provision was ratified in 1968, when voters adopted a new constitution via Amendment 1.

Section 2 of Article XI is as follows:

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Revision Commission

(a) Within thirty days before the convening of the 2017 regular session of the legislature, and each twentieth year thereafter, there shall be established a constitution revision commission composed of the following thirty-seven members:

(1) the attorney general of the state;

(2) fifteen members selected by the governor;

(3) nine members selected by the speaker of the house of representatives and nine members selected by the president of the senate; and

(4) three members selected by the chief justice of the supreme court of Florida with the advice of the justices.

(b) The governor shall designate one member of the commission as its chair. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

(c) Each constitution revision commission shall convene at the call of its chair, adopt its rules of procedure, examine the constitution of the state, hold public hearings, and, not later than one hundred eighty days prior to the next general election, file with the custodian of state records its proposal, if any, of a revision of this constitution or any part of it.

First convention (1978)

In 1978, the CRC was convened for the first time and referred eight constitutional amendments to the ballot, and voters rejected all of them. In 1998, the CRC referred nine constitutional amendments, and voters passed eight of nine of them. In 2018, the CRC referred eight constitutional amendments to the ballot, although a court removed one from the ballot. Voters approved all seven.

Attempts to abolish (1980 and 2022)

In 1980, the legislature referred to the ballot a constitutional amendment to abolish the Florida Constitution Revision Commission. Voters rejected the amendment. In 1988, the legislature referred a constitutional amendment to create a Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC), which voters approved. Like the Constitution Revision Commission, the TBRC meets every 20 years and has the power to refer constitutional amendments to voters. However, the TBRC only addresses issues related to taxation and the budgetary process.

In 2022, 54% of voters supported Amendment 2, which would have abolished the Florida Constitution Revision Commission. However, a 60% vote was required to approve the change, meaning Amendment 2 was defeated.

List of Constitutional Revision Commissions

Click on the tabs below to learn more about the previous Florida Constitutional Revision Commissions.

2017-2018

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 2017-2018 was the third convening of the commission, following the enactment of the constitution of 1968.

The CRC of 2017-2018 was sworn in on March 20, 2017, and had until May 10, 2018, to hold public hearings, review proposals, and refer amendments to the ballot. The CRC adjourned on April 16, 2018, after referring eight measures to the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018. One was removed from the ballot and the other seven were approved by voters.

2018 CRC proposals

The CRC was required to file proposed amendments to the state constitution with the custodian of state records 180 days before the general election on November 6, 2018, which was May 10, 2018.

Due to the passage of Amendment 3 in 2006, referred amendments required a 60% vote of electors to be approved in 2018. Prior CRC-referred amendments in 1978 and 1998 required a simple majority vote of electors to be approved.

The deadline for public submissions was scheduled for September 22, 2017; however, following Hurricane Irma, the CRC extended the deadline to October 6, 2017. In 2017, members of the public submitted 2,013 proposals—782 filed online and 1,231 through other means, including email and mail.

CRC commissioners submitted 103 proposals.

On March 13, 2018, a calendar was adopted for the 37-member CRC to consider 36 proposals that the 10 standing committees had passed. Between March 19 and March 21, 2018, the full CRC referred 25 of the proposals to the Style & Drafting Committee. On April 2, 2018, one proposal was withdrawn, bringing the total down to 24. The Style & Drafting Committee proposed combining the 24 proposals into 12 ballot measures.

On April 16, 2018, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) referred eight constitutional amendments to the 2018 ballot, combining multiple proposals in some of the amendments. Amendment 8 was blocked from appearing on the ballot. The seven remaining measures referred by the CRC were approved

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CR	Amendment 6	Judiciary	Adds a Marsy's Law to state constitution, increases judicial retirement age to 75, and prohibits judges from deferring to administrative agencies in interpreting law	a
CR	Amendment 7	Education	Requires death benefits for first responders and military members, a supermajority vote for college fees, and adds state college system structure to constitution	a
CR	Amendment 8	Education	Establishes school board term limits, allows state to operate non-board established schools, and requires civic literacy in public education
CR	Amendment 9	Environment	Bans offshore oil and gas drilling and vaping in enclosed indoor workplaces	a
CR	Amendment 10	Admin of Gov't	Prohibits counties from abolishing certain local offices, changes start date of legislative sessions, and adds an executive office and executive department to constitution	a
CR	Amendment 11	Admin of Gov't	Repeals the following: (a) a prohibition against aliens owning property, (b) a requirement for a high-speed ground transportation system, and (c) a provision saying that changes to a criminal statute are not retroactive	a
CR	Amendment 12	Gov't Acc	Prohibits public officials from lobbying for compensation while in office and six years thereafter	a
CR	Amendment 13	Gambling	Prohibits pari-mutuel (a type of betting pool) operations from racing greyhounds or any other dogs for wagering, prohibits persons in Florida from wagering on the outcome of live dog races occurring in the state	a

Lawsuits concerning CRC referrals on 2018 ballot

Harry Lee Anstead and Robert J. Barnas v. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner On August 14, 2018, Retired Florida chief justice Harry Lee Anstead and former Florida Elections commissioner Robert J. Barnas filed a lawsuit against Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner in the Florida Supreme Court alleging that six measures placed on the ballot by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission should be removed from the ballot because they combine independent and unrelated subjects into one amendment. Additionally, the lawsuit alleged that the ballot language for Amendment 8 failed to clearly specify its intent, and was deceptive and misleading. The plaintiffs wanted the court to order the secretary of state to justify why the measures are allowed to be on the ballot or remove them from the ballot. Involved in different lawsuits, the Florida Supreme Court ordered Amendments 6 and 10 to appear on the ballot while Amendment 8 was removed from the ballot. On October 17, 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling and ordered Amendments 7, 9, and 11 to remain on the ballot also. The amendments that were challenged in the lawsuit are listed below: Type Title Subject Description CR Amendment 6 Judiciary Adds a Marsy's Law to state constitution, increases judicial retirement age to 75, and prohibits judges from deferring to administrative agencies in interpreting law CR Amendment 7 Education Requires death benefits for first responders and military members, a supermajority vote for college fees, and adds state college system structure to constitution CR Amendment 8 Education Establishes school board term limits, allows state to operate non-board established schools, and requires civic literacy in public education CR Amendment 9 Environment Bans offshore oil and gas drilling and vaping in enclosed indoor workplaces CR Amendment 10 Admin of Gov't Prohibits counties from abolishing certain local offices, changes start date of legislative sessions, and adds an executive office and executive department to constitution CR Amendment 11 Admin of Gov't Repeals the following: (a) a prohibition against aliens owning property, (b) a requirement for a high-speed ground transportation system, and (c) a provision saying that changes to a criminal statute are not retroactive Timeline On October 17, 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's ruling, instead ordering Amendments 7, 9, and 11 to remain on the ballot and votes on the measures to be counted. On September 12, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court accepted the case. By September 24, 2018, briefs had been filed by both parties. On September 7, 2018, Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers ruled that Amendments 7, 9, and 11 must be removed from the ballot. Gievers said Amendments 7 and 9 combined independent and unrelated provisions in a single amendment, preventing voters from making a single decision on what provisions of the amendment to support. She also ruled that Amendment 11 was misleading. Secretary of State Ken Detzner appealed the case to the First District Court of Appeals. Gievers' ruling did not concern Amendments 6, 8, or 10 because they were involved in other lawsuits. Amendments 6 and 10 were ordered to appear on the ballot while Amendment 8 was removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court. On August 29, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court transferred the case down to a lower court, the Leon County Circuit Court. The justices wrote, "The transfer of this case should not be construed as an adjudication or comment on the merits of the petition nor that the petition has been properly denominated as a petition for writ of quo warranto. The transferee court should not interpret the transfer of this case as an indication that it must or should reach the merits of the petition." Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to the suit on behalf of Secretary of State Ken Detzner. Bondi argued that only initiatives proposed by the public are subject to the single-subject rule and that amendments placed on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission are not bound to abide by the single-subject rule. According to documents filed by Bondi, the state also argued that Detzner did not violate Florida law by placing the amendments on the ballot.

Click here to read more about the proposals that went before the full 37-member Constitution Revision Commission.

Rules

On June 6, 2017, the full commission adopted rules to govern the CRC for 2017-2018.

Committees

The 2017-2018 rules created 10 standing committees to address proposed changes to the 12 articles of the Florida Constitution. The committees were as follows:

1. Declaration of Rights (Article I) Committee Members: Lisa Carlton (Chair), John Stemberger (Vice Chair), Erika Donalds, Emery Gainey, Marva Johnson, Arthenia Joyner, and Gary Lester 2. Executive (Article IV) Committee Members: Darlene Jordan (Chair), Chris Sprowls (Vice Chair), Pam Bondi, Jose Felix Diaz, Don Gaetz, Belinda Keiser, Chris Nocco, Pam Stewart, and Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch 3. Judicial (Article V) Committee Members: William Schifino, Jr. (Chair), Anna Hernandez Gamez (Vice Chair), Pam Bondi, Timothy Cerio, Hank Coxe, Arthenia Joyner, Tom Lee, Roberto Martinez, and Carolyn Timmann 4. Legislative (Article III) Committee Members: Jose Felix Diaz (Chair), Belinda Keiser (Vice Chair), Jose Armas, Lisa Carlton, Tom Lee, Patricia Levesque, and Darryl Rouson. 5. Local Government (Article VIII) Committee Members: Erika Donalds (Chair), Chris Nocco (Vice Chair), Emery Gainey, Bob Solari, John Stemberger, Carolyn Timmann, Nicole Washington 6. Finance and Taxation (Article VII) Committee Members: Fred Karlinsky (Chair), Tom Grady (Vice Chair), Jose Armas, Jeanette Nuñez, Darryl Rouson, Chris Smith, and Nicole Washington 7. Ethics and Elections (Article VI, Article II) Committee Members: Hank Coxe (Chair), Frank Kruppenbacher (Vice Chair), Don Gaetz, Brecht Heuchan, Arthenia Joyner, Rich Newsome, Sherry Plymale, William Schifino, Jr., and Chris Smith 8. Bonding and Investments (Article VII) Committee Members: Chris Smith (Chair), Jose Armas (Vice Chair), Don Gaetz, Frank Kruppenbacher, Rich Newsome, Darryl Rouson, and Bob Solari 9. Education (Article IX) Committee Members: Marva Johnson (Chair), Nicole Washington (Vice Chair), Erika Donalds, Tom Grady, Darlene Jordan, Belinda Keiser, Patricia Levesque, Chris Sprowls, and Pam Stewart 10. General Provisions (Article II, Article X, Article XI, and Article XII) Committee Members: Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch (Chair), Emery Gainey (Vice Chair), Brecht Heuchan, Fred Karlinsky, Gary Lester, Jeanette Nuñez, and Sherry Plymale Committees would report constitutional amendments to the full commission as unfavorable, favorable, or favorable as amended by a simple majority vote.

Commission

The CRC was allowed to consider proposed amendments from the standing committees, as well as the public. If a commissioner motioned to have an amendment submitted by the public heard, and at least 10 commissioners agreed, then the full commission could have voted on whether to further consider the amendment.

Before proceeding to a final vote, the CRC voted on whether to further consider an issue and send a proposal to the Style and Drafting Committee to write the ballot language. A simple majority vote was required to further consider an amendment. The Style and Drafting Committee was responsible for clarifying and codifying the proposals.

At least 22 of 37 (59.5 percent) commissioners needed to vote in favor of a proposed amendment for the measure to be referred to the ballot. Commissioners were required to be present for votes unless a written note of absence was provided. Commissioners were prohibited from voting on issues that would have resulted in a special gain or loss for the commissioner, a relative of the commissioner, or a business associate of the commissioner.

Commissioners

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 2017-2018 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, appointed 15 members of the CRC. President of the Florida Senate, Joe Negron (R-25), appointed nine members. Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Richard Corcoran (R-37) appointed nine members. Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, appointed three members of the CRC. Chief Justice Labarga was a registered Republican, but changed his partisan affiliation to unaffiliated once he became a judge.

In 2018, Republicans controlled the centers of state political power—the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate. Florida was one of 25 Republican state trifectas in the U.S. in 2018. The attorney general was also a Republican. Due to this partisan composition, Democrats did not get to appoint any members of the CRC of 2017-2018.

Timeline

Officials tasked with naming commissioners to the CRC needed to make their appointments during the 30 days prior to the start of the 2017 legislative session, which began on March 7, 2017. Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, was the first official to name his three appointments to the CRC. On February 6, 2017, Judge Labarga announced his appointees, saying he selected them due to their "wide-ranging knowledge about our system and appreciation for separation of powers and the independence of the judicial branch of government." Two of his appointees are Democrats. One is a Republican. Senate President Joe Negron (R-25) named his nine appointments, eight Republicans and one Democrat, to the CRC on February 15, 2017. President Negron said he made his selections due to their commitment to expanding school choice policies, such as charter schools and voucher programs. He elaborated, "The appointees are strong advocates for school choice opportunities that celebrate the power of the parents to determine what form of education is best for their child." On March 1, 2017, Gov. Rick Scott (R) appointed Carlos Beruff, a businessman and Republican, as chairperson of the CRC. Gov. Scott said, "My goal for the CRC is to fight for policies that will ensure a strong future for Florida and I know Carlos also shares this vision." On March 3, Gov. Scott announced his other 14 appointments to the CRC. Jimmy Patronis, one of Gov. Scott's original appointees, resigned from the CRC after being appointed the state chief financial officer on June 30, 2017. Gov. Scott replaced Patronis with former Rep. Tom Grady (R-76). Richard Corcoran (R-37), Speaker of the House, named his nine appointments to the CRC on March 6, 2017. He said he placed a premium on public service, stating, "The rationale behind this being that those who have placed their name before the people have an excellent understanding who they work for." Speaker Corcoran also said, "... these appointees are diverse, principled and won't march in lockstep with anyone. And my only charge to each has been to do what they believe to be right." On March 20, 2017, Chief Justice Jorge Labarga sworn in the members of the CRC of 2017-2018.

List

The following table lists the 37 commissioners who served on the CRC of 2017-2018:

Click [show] to expand the table.

Commissioner	Appointed by	Occupation
Anna Marie Hernandez Gamez	President	Former President, Cuban American Bar Association; Attorney
Arthenia Joyner	Chief Justice	Former State Senator; Attorney
Belinda Keiser	Governor	Vice Chancellor, Keiser University
Bob Solari	President	County Commissioner, Indian River County; Former President and Manager, RMS Financial Services; Former President and Director, International Citrus Corporation and Incitco Realty, Inc.
Brecht Heuchan	Governor	CEO, ContributionLink, LLC; Owner, The Labrador Company
Carlos Beruff (Chair)	Governor	CEO, Medallion Homes
Carolyn Timmann	President	Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Martin County
Chris Nocco	Speaker	Sheriff of Pasco County
Chris Smith	President	Former State Senator; Attorney
Chris Sprowls	Speaker	State Representative
Darlene Jordan	Governor	Executive Director, Gerald R. Jordan Foundation; Former Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts
Darryl Rouson	Speaker	State Senator
Don Gaetz	President	Former State Senator; Retired Vice Chairman, VITAS Healthcare Corporation
Emery Gainey	Governor	Director of Law Enforcement, Victim Services & Criminal Justice, Florida Department of Legal Affairs
Erika Donalds	Speaker	Member, Collier County School Board; CFO, CCO, and Partner, Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co., LLC
Frank Kruppenbacher	Governor	Chairman, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority; Attorney
Fred Karlinsky	Governor	Co-Chair, Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice Group
Gary Lester	Governor	Developer and VP, The Villages for Community Relations; President, The Villages Charter School
Hank Coxe	Chief Justice	Former President, The Florida Bar; Attorney
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch	President	Former Mayor of Sewall's Point; Realtor
Jeanette Nuñez	Speaker	State Representative
John Stemberger	Speaker	President & General Counsel, Florida Family Policy Council
Jose “Pepe” Armas	Governor	Chairman, MCCI Group; Member, Florida International University Board of Trustees
Jose Felix Diaz	Speaker	State Representative
Lisa Carlton	Governor	Former State Senator; Co–Owner and Manager, Mabry Carlton Ranch
Marva Johnson	Governor	Chair, Florida State Board of Education; Regional VP of State Government Affairs, Charter Communications
Nicole Washington	Governor	State Policy Consultant, Lumina Foundation
Pam Bondi	Automatic	Attorney General
Pam Stewart	Governor	Commissioner, Department of Education
Patricia Levesque	President	Executive Director, Foundation for Florida’s Future; CEO, Foundation for Excellence in Education
Rich Newsome	Speaker	Senior Partner, Newsome Melton
Roberto Martinez	Chief Justice	Former U.S. Attorney for South Florida; Attorney
Sherry Plymale	President	Former Member, State Board of Community Colleges
Timothy Cerio	Governor	Former General Counsel to Governor Scott; Attorney
Tom Grady	Governor	Former State Representative; CEO, Continental Equities Group and GradyLaw
Tom Lee	Speaker	State Senator; VP and Director, Sabal Homes of Florida
William “Bill” Schifino, Jr.	President	President, The Florida Bar; Attorney

Counties of residence

The 37 commissioners appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 2017-2018 were residents of 17 of the state's 67 counties. Counties with residents who served on the CRC of 2017-2018 included:

• Leon County: 6 commissioners
• Miami-Dade County: 6 commissioners
• Orange County: 4 commissioners
• Broward County: 3 commissioners
• Hillsborough County: 3 commissioners
• Martin County: 3 commissioners

• Collier County: 2 commissioner
• Pinellas County: 2 commissioners
• Duval County: 1 commissioner
• Indian River County: 1 commissioner
• Manatee County: 1 commissioner

• Okaloosa County: 1 commissioner
• Palm Beach County: 1 commissioner
• Pasco County: 1 commissioner
• Sarasota County: 1 commissioner
• Sumter County: 1 commissioner

The following map provides a spatial illustration of where commissioners reside in the state of Florida:

1997-1998

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1997-1998 was the second convening of the commission, following the enactment of the constitution of 1968.

Proposals

Members of the public submitted around 689 proposals to the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1997-1998, which voted to move 110 of them to the full commission. The CRC addressed 187 proposed changes to the constitution, including 110 public proposals and 77 commissioner proposals. The CRC referred 23 of the public proposals, 3 percent of 689, to the ballot, either through adopting them or combining them with other adopted proposals. The CRC also adopted and referred 16 commissioner-submitted proposals. These 39 proposals were packaged as nine ballot measures and referred to the ballot for the election on November 3, 1998. Voters approved eight of the nine amendments.

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
CR	Amendment 5	Natural resources	Relates to conservation of natural resources and the creation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission	a
CR	Amendment 6	Education	Declares it "a paramount duty of the state" to provide for education of children	a
CR	Amendment 7	Judicial reform	Provides for several judicial changes, including a local option to decide whether to continue electing circuit and county judges	a
CR	Amendment 8	Admin of gov't	Restructures state cabinet	a
CR	Amendment 9	Constitutional rights	Redefines the definition of who is provided basic rights, also stating that women and men equal	a
CR	Amendment 10	Taxes	Expands local property tax exemptions	d
CR	Amendment 11	Elections	Relates to ballot access, public campaign financing, election process	a
CR	Amendment 12	Firearms	Provides local option for criminal background checks and waiting periods for firearms sales	a
CR	Amendment 13	Constitutions	Relates to miscellaneous matters and technical revisions of the Constitution	a

Amendment 5 (a) did the following: Created the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Extended the constitutional authorization of land acquisition programs to issue revenue bonds to purchase conservation lands. Required the state to make adequate provision for the conservation and protection of natural resources. Required a minimum of a two-thirds vote of the appropriate government commission and a finding that a parcel of land is no longer required for conservation purposes before the land is sold. Amendment 6 (a) did the following: Required the state to make adequate provision for the education of children. Expanded the requirement that the public school system be "efficient, safe, secure, and high quality." Amendment 7 (a) did the following: Required that state revenue be used to fund the state courts system, state attorneys' and public defenders' offices, and court-appointed counsel. Allowed voters to decide whether to use an election system or appointment system to select local and circuit trial judges. Increased the terms of county court judges from four years to six years. Amendment 8 (a) did the following: Merged the offices of treasurer and comptroller into the office of chief financial officer. Made the secretary of state an appointed, rather than elected, position. Made the commissioner of education an appointed, rather than elected, position. Created an appointed state board of education. Amendment 9 (a) did the following: Added explicit recognition of females and males before the law to the constitution. Added national origin to the groups with constitutional protection from discrimination. Renamed physical handicap as physical disability in the list of groups with constitutional protection from discrimination. Amendment 10 (d) would have done the following: Authorized counties and cities to grant tax exemptions for lands used for conservation. Authorized counties to grant tax exemptions for tangible personal property in mobile homes and certain rental housing. Allowed legislature to grant tax exemptions for municipal property used for airport, seaport, or public purposes. Provide that citizens have a constitutional right to communicate with local government officials without regard to ex parte communications considerations. Amendment 11 (a) did the following: Made ballot access requirements the same for major party, minor party, and independent candidates. Allowed all voters to participate in a partisan primary election when there will be no opposition in the general election. Allowed candidates for governor to run in a gubernatorial primary without a lieutenant governor candidate. Provided for limited public funding of campaigns. Provided for nonpartisan school board elections. Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in the constitution to match federal law. Amendment 12 (a) did the following: Authorized counties to require a criminal background check and waiting period of purchasers for certain firearms sales. Exempted purchasers who hold concealed weapons permits from criminal background checks and waiting periods for firearms sales. Amendment 13 (a) did the following: Removed gender-specific references in the Florida Constitution. Changed the meeting of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission from every 10 years to every 20 years. Clarified the Department of Military Affairs' power to impose prison sentences. Clarified the 72-hour public review period required before passage of all general appropriations bills. Clarified ambiguities regarding legislative consideration of a veto.

Commissioners

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1997-1998 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Lawton Chiles, a Democrat, appointed 15 members of the CRC. Gerald Kogan, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, served in a nonpartisan office but was registered as a Democrat. He appointed three members of the CRC. Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat, served on the commission as an automatic member. This composition meant that Democrats appointed 19 of the 37 members of the CRC.

President of the Florida Senate, Toni Jennings, was a Republican. She appointed nine members of the CRC. Daniel Webster, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and a Republican, appointed nine members of the CRC. Republicans appointed 18 of the 37 members of the CRC.

In 1997, Florida was a divided government. Republicans controlled both chambers of the Florida State Legislature. The governor, however, was a Democrat. The attorney general was also a Democrat.

The following table lists the 37 commissioners who served on the CRC of 1997-1998:

Commissioner	Appointed by	Occupation
Clarence E. Anthony	Governor	Mayor of South Bay
Martha Walters Barnett	Governor	Attorney
Barbara Williams Ford-Coates	Governor	Tax Collector, Sarasota County
John F. Lowndes	President	Attorney
Gerald Kogan	Chief Justice	Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Dexter Douglass (Chair)	Governor	Attorney
Thomas H. Barkdull, Jr.	Governor	Senior Appellate Judge, Third District Court of Appeal
Ellen Catsman Freidin	Governor	Attorney
William Clay Henderson	Governor	President/CEO, Florida Audubon Society
James Harold Thompson	Governor	Attorney
Stephen Neal Zack	Governor	Attorney
Antonio L. Argiz	President	Partner, Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Co.
Ander Crenshaw	President	Sr. Vice President, William R. Hough & Co.
Marilyn Evans-Jones	President	Realtor
Frank Morsani	President	Chairman, Precision Enterprises, Inc.
Carlos J. Alfonso	Speaker	President, Alfonso Architects
Kenneth L. Connor	Speaker	Attorney
Valerie W. Evans	Speaker	Attorney
Paul M. Hawkes	Speaker	Attorney
Robert A. Butterworth	Automatic	Attorney General
Gerald T. Wetherington	Chief Justice	Former Chief Judge, Dade County
Robert Lowry Nabors	Governor	Attorney
Judith Byrne Riley	Governor	Senior VP, Valparaiso Realty Co.
Katherine Fernandez Rundle	Governor	State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit
Sen. James A. Scott	President	Member of Florida Senate
Chris Corr	Speaker	Senior Manager, Walt Disney Imagineering
Richard H. Langley	Speaker	Attorney
Paul West	Speaker	Mortgage and Real Estate Broker, Freedom Industries, Inc.
Alan C. Sundberg	Chief Justice	General Counsel, Florida State University
Robert M. Brochin	Governor	Attorney
Jon Lester Mills	Governor	Professor of Law, and Director, Center for Governmental Responsibility, University of Florida College of Law
H. T. Smith	Governor	Attorney
Pat Barton	President	Education Consultant
Toni Jennings	President	President of Florida Senate
Carlos Planas	President	Managing Partner, Tamiami Automotive Group
J. Stanley Marshall	Speaker	Chairman, CEO of James Madison Institute
Jacinta Mathis	Speaker	Attorney

1977-1978

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1977-1978 was the first convening of the commission, following the enactment of the constitution of 1968.

Proposals

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1977-1978 addressed 257 proposed changes to the constitution. The CRC referred eight constitutional amendments to the ballot for the election on November 7, 1978. Voters rejected all eight of the amendments.

Amendment 1 (d) would have done the following:

• Revised Articles I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VIII, X, XI and XII of the Florida Constitution.

Amendment 2 (d) would have done the following:

• Provided that no person be deprived of their constitutional rights because of sex.

Amendment 3 (d) would have done the following:

• Required single-member state legislative districts.
• Established a commission to conduct redistricting and reapportionment for state legislative and congressional districts.
• Provided standards for redistricting and reapportionment.

Amendment 4 (d) would have done the following:

• Eliminated the executive cabinet composed of the secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, and commissioner of education.
• Eliminated the attorney general's membership on the CRC.
• Provided the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court with four, rather than three, appointments to the CRC.

Amendment 5 (d) would have done the following:

• Provided for a five-member public service commission.

Amendment 6 (d) would have done the following:

• Required circuit judges and county judges to submit themselves for retention or rejection elections every six years
• Provided that the governor fill vacancies occurring by rejection from a list of three names submitted by the judicial nominating commission.
• Increased the terms of county court judges from four to six years.

Amendment 7 (d) would have done the following:

• Revised tax and government finance laws in Article VII of the Florida Constitution.

Amendment 8 (d) would have done the following:

• Provided for the governor to appoint, and the Senate confirm, members of the state board of education.
• Provided for the governor to appoint, and the Senate confirm, members of the university system board of regents.

Commissioners

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) of 1977-1978 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Reubin Askew, a Democrat, appointed 15 members of the CRC. President of the Florida Senate, Lew Brantley, appointed nine members. President Brantley was a Democrat. Donald L. Tucker, a Democrat, was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He appointed nine members to the CRC. Attorney General Robert L. Shevin, a Democrat, served on the commission as an automatic member. Benjamin F. Overton, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, selected three members of the CRC.

In 1977, Democrats controlled the centers of state political power—the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate. This made Florida a Democratic state trifecta in 1977. The attorney general was also a Democrat. Due to this partisan composition, Republicans did not get to appoint any members of the CRC of 1977-1978.

The following table lists the 37 commissioners who served on the CRC of 1977-1978:

Note: Occupations of commissioners are not available for the CRC of 1977-1978.

Commissioner	Appointed by
Benjamin F. Overton	Chief Justice
Bill Birchfield	President
Bill James	Speaker
Bonny Kaslow Roberts	Speaker
Dempsey J. Barron	President
Dexter W. Douglas	Speaker
Donald H. Reed, Jr.	Governor
DuBose Ausley	Governor
Edward R. Annis	President
Freddie Groomes	Governor
J.B. Spence	Speaker
Jack Mathews	Governor
James W. Kynes	Governor
Jan Kaminis Platte	Governor
Jesse J. McCrary, Jr.	Governor
Jim Apthorp	Governor
John DeGrove	Governor
John H. Moore, II	Governor
John L. Ryals	Speaker
John T. Ware	President
Jon Moyle	Governor
Kenneth A. Plante	President
LeRoy Collins	Governor
Lew Brantley	President
Lois Harrison	Governor
Marcello Olivia	Speaker
Mark C. Hollis	Governor
Nathaniel P. Reed	Governor
Nathaniel Polak	Speaker
Robert L. Shevin	Automatic
Stella F. Thayer	President
Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte (Chair)	Governor
Thomas H. Barkdull, Jr.	Chief Justice
William C. Clark	Speaker
William H. Gardner	Speaker
Yvonne Burkholz	Governor

See also

• Florida 2018 ballot measures
• Florida 1998 ballot measures
• Florida 1978 ballot measures
• Florida Constitution
• Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
• Commission-referred ballot measure
• Laws governing the initiative process in Florida
• Types of ballot measures in Florida
• List of Florida ballot measures

External links

• Florida Constitution Revision Commission, 2017-2018