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To the editor:
The states legislative session is now open. This is the time when our local representatives and senators put forth bills that they hope will become law. These proposed bills become available to the public to review. They say all politics are local, so what have our locally elected officials proposed so far this year? Our very own Rep. Jenna Mulicka has proposed house bill 1205. This bill would totally change how citizen petitions would be qualified to be put on the ballot in future elections. This bill would make citizen-enacted amendments to the state constitution nearly impossible.
The requirement for a $1,000,000 bond poses a significant challenge for grassroots organizations to propose amendments on the ballot. There are also severe penalties if a petition is found invalid. This could be a wrong address, signature doesn't match the voter registration, etc. Things that petition collectors have NO control over. It takes away the power of the people to change our constitution. Only lawmakers will have the power to propose amendments to the state constitution. Any proposed amendment already requires more than 900,000 signed petitions to get considered for placement on the state ballot. The Florida Right to Clean Water ballot efforts would very likely be doomed. The sad truth is our own elected officials are fighting to kill any public effort to put an amendment on the ballot. My suggestion is that you go to floridarighttocleanwater.org. Request a petition and sign it while it's still legal to do so. We all need the right to clean water but our opportunity as a citizen of the state of Florida to demand that right could soon go away.
Dan Carney
Cape Coral