The Miami Herald
A proposed state constitutional amendment providing wide-ranging property tax relief has cleared the Florida House. The proposed ballot measure (HJR 381) that passed Monday faces an uncertain fate in the Senate where similar legislation is mired in committee. It would give a tax break to owners of property not covered by the existing Save Our Homes Amendment.
Voters swept Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez out of office by a stunning margin Tuesday, capping a dramatic collapse for a politician who was given increased authority by voters four years ago to clean up much-maligned county government but was ushered out in the largest recall of a local politician in U.S. history.
Attorneys for a statewide teachers’ union will go before the Florida Supreme Court Wednesday in an attempt to boot from the November ballot a proposed amendment dealing with school class sizes. The decision on whether Amendment 8 can go before voters is expected to be the last before the tally of amendments that voters will have a say on is final. Several proposed initiatives have been challenged in court, but all have been either rejected or given the OK with about a month now to go before Election Day.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman said Monday that she would place pension cutbacks on the ballot if negotiations with state workers fail and would consider using her personal fortune not only to win office but to advance her agenda if elected. Taking the issue to voters is “not my first choice,” she told The Bee’s editorial board. “But if we have to … this is an issue we have got to take up.” The former eBay CEO and billionaire said she “possibly” would put her own money behind a ballot measure campaign.
Alaskans on Tuesday approved a controversial voter initiative requiring parents to be notified before their teen age 17 and younger receives an abortion. Ballot Measure 2 was one of the most fiercely contested items in the primary election, with total spending by both sides combined nearing $1 million. Tuesday’s vote marks the first time Alaska voters confronted the abortion issue at the polls.
The Florida Supreme Court will take up cases challenging three redistricting amendments slated for the Nov. 2 ballot. The justices Monday halted trial court proceedings while they consider arguments to either dismiss a challenge to a pair of citizen initiatives or decide it themselves.
Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi filed suit Monday seeking to undo controversial requirements imposed almost three years ago that make it harder to bring voter ballot initiatives in a move that — if successful — could pave the way for a recall effort of embattled Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. The suit, filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, comes a day after a Miami Herald/CBS 4 poll found 58 percent of registered voters favor the recall of Alvarez.