The fox guarding the henhouse: Vote ‘no’ on Amendment 3

Commentary by Daniel Smith

Who’s afraid of the citizens of Florida? The special interests in Tallahassee, that’s who.
This November, voters will have a chance to defeat the Gucci-clad, power-hungry lobbyists who lurk in darkened hallways of our state capitol by voting “No” on Amendment 3. Requiring a supermajority to change our state constitution, Amendment 3 takes power away from ordinary citizens, giving it to the lobbyists doing business in Tallahassee. It’s a raw deal, plain and simple.

On the surface, Amendment 3 seems fairly benign. The title (written by Tallahassee lobbyists) says the measure will require broader public support for constitutional amendments. But don’t let yourself be suckered by the slick title. The subtext of Amendment 3 is about one thing: power.
Amendment 3 is a classic case of the “fox guarding the henhouse.” Like those ill-fated hens, the citizens of this state are big losers if Amendment 3 passes. We will lose our collective voice while the powerbrokers in Tallahassee tighten their control over the policymaking process. That’s why the special interests have lined up to bankroll Amendment 3.

It’s important for Floridians to know that the special interest lobbyists who wrote the language of Amendment 3 are the same big-money groups who run roughshod over our state legislature every session. Who do the backers of Amendment 3 think they’re fooling when they say it will eliminate special interests?

Citizens should vote No on Amendment 3 for several reasons.
First, and most importantly, if Amendment 3 passes, it will diminish our fundamental right to petition government for redress of our grievances. Only those powerful special interests in Tallahassee who can pay teams of well-paid lobbyists will have a say in our government. No longer will our elected officials have to listen to issues that are important to ordinary citizens.

Over the past 30 years, Floridians have turned to the initiative process to do what our Democratic and Republican state legislators didn’t have the political will to do. When our legislators succumb to pressure of lobbyists, it is the citizens of this state who have used the initiative process to halt new taxes, save our homes by limiting homestead valuations, ban commercial fishing nets, remove smoking in workplaces, limit the terms of our legislators, create a trust fund to restore the Everglades, reduce class size and fund universal pre-K education, raise the minimum wage, make public affairs more transparent, and even keep the environment clean by removing corporate hog farms from our state.
These initiatives – conservative and liberal measures alike – have one thing in common. None of them received a fair hearing in Tallahassee. Special interest lobbyists thwarted all of them. If not for the bipartisan support of voters – with Democrats, Republicans, and independents joining forces – these issues would not have become a reality.

Second, there’s absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support the big lie being touted by the big money backers of the measure that our constitution is for sale and is the easiest in the country to amend. It’s pure poppycock. In fact, Florida is arguably the toughest state in the country to qualify a ballot initiative. Groups need to collect more valid signatures – over 600,000 – to place a measure on the ballot than any other state, including California, a state with twice our population. Of the 50 measures that circulated in Florida last year, only one qualified for the ballot this November.

Third, by raising the threshold to approve initiatives, Amendment 3 may have the unintended consequence of decreasing the possibility for grassroots groups to use the process. Only well-heeled special interests, because of their willingness to pay professional signature gatherers and campaign consultants, will be able to afford to put initiatives on the ballot. Ironically, Amendment 3 will allow special interests to hijack the citizen initiative.

Finally, it’s quite clear that power, and not principle, is the driving motivation for the backers of Amendment 3. If the measure passes, it will further consolidate the power of lobbyists in Tallahassee. Currently, there are over 2,000 special interest lobbyists registered to do business in our state capitol. That’s 14 for every one state legislator. Do lobbyists really need any more power?
It shouldn’t much matter if you’re a liberal, conservative, populist, libertarian, Democrat, Republican, independent, or third party supporter. Citizens of all stripes should oppose Amendment 3. It’s a power grab, designed and backed by special interests who want to squelch the voice of the people.

Shouldn’t we trust the voters? Vote No on Amendment 3.

Daniel Smith teaches state and local politics at the University of Florida and is the author of two books, Educated by Initiative and Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy.