Former Florida Supreme Court chief justice: Amendment 8 ‘misleading,’ ‘deceptive’

It’s still a long way to November, when voters will be asked to vote up or down on 13 proposed amendments to the state constitution. But only a few so far have generated as much debate as Amendment 8, a measure that is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters. Read…

Judge sets hearing on education amendment

A Leon County circuit judge will hear arguments Aug. 17 in a dispute about a proposed constitutional amendment that calls for changes in the state’s education system.  Judge John Cooper on Monday scheduled the hearing in the lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Florida, which is trying to keep the constitutional amendment…

Amendment 8 intentionally misleads voters

If you want an education in political flimflam, one needs to look no farther than Amendment 8, School Board Term Limits and Duties; Public Schools. Commonly referred to as the education amendment, it will be on the November 6 ballot along with 12 other constitutional amendments. Read More

Lawsuit: Amendment 8 summary ‘misleading’ about control of charter schools

The summary language of a proposed constitutional amendment that would revoke the exclusive authority of school boards to operate public charter schools is “affirmatively misleading” to voters, according to a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Florida against Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner. Read More

Thursday Editorial: League of Women Voters is right to sue over deceptive ballot item

The League of Women Voters in Florida was right to challenge a seriously misleading constitutional amendment proposal in court.  Many of the amendments proposed by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission for a November vote have serious flaws, such as lumping four issues into one amendment.  But one of the batched amendments is so deceptive that…

Cotterell: Education amendment looks deceptive

A lawsuit filed last week may or may not succeed in knocking the education amendment off the ballot, but – win or lose – it has already underscored the duplicity of the Constitution Revision Commission.  Amendment 8 on the ballot seems bland enough, proposing eight-year term limits for all school board members and directing the…

Lawsuit challenges education amendment, seeks to remove it from Florida’s ballot

A constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow charter school organizers to bypass local school boards to get approval is “intentionally misleading” because it doesn’t directly explain to voters that the amendment is designed to circumvent local control and intentionally leaves out the word “charter,’‘ a lawsuit filed Thursday in Leon County Circuit…

Charter schools back amendment effort

Companies with ties to charter schools and a controversial federal visa program are providing the bulk of contributions to an effort to pass a constitutional amendment that would impose an eight-year term limit on school board members.  Through June, the 8isGreat.org political committee has raised $54,532 in support of Amendment 8, state election records show.…

Florida school board term limit backers jump start campaign for Amendment 8

The November general election might seem distant to many Floridians, who still await a list of candidates for many of the August primaries.  But the bottom of the ballot will be filled with more than a dozen amendments that will compete for attention with more high-profile races including U.S. senator and the state’s governor. Attaining the…

School boards continue battle over controversial law

School boards from across the state have gone to the 1st District Court of Appeal as they continue to challenge a controversial 2017 law that includes steps to boost charter schools.  Eleven districts signed on to notices filed last week indicating they will appeal an April 17 ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper…