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AMENDMENT 4:
WHAT EVERY FLORIDIAN SHOULD KNOW
What are the
facts?
On November 2nd,
you will be asked to vote yes or no on a plan to alter Florida’s
Constitution called Amendment 4.
Special interest lawyers, adult entertainment interests and population control
groups have designed, funded and proposed this amendment to our Constitution.
Take a moment to learn more about who’s backing
Amendment 4
and why.
What is the
issue?
Amendment 4
will prolong the recession and put recovery out of reach for thousands of
working Floridians. As a result, leading business, labor, and civic groups
oppose Amendment 4
What will the
measure do?
This proposed
change to Florida’s Constitution would require a taxpayer-funded referendum for
every single change to a local government comprehensive plan. Simply stated,
Amendment 4 would force Floridians, not the representatives they elect, to
decide hundreds of minor, technical comprehensive plan changes each year on
issues like drainage, traffic circulation, and intergovernmental coordination.
What does
that mean for you?
Here is what
Amendment 4 means for you: (1) a Florida
with drastically fewer jobs, (2) a significantly weaker economy, and (3)
unbearably higher taxes to feed the Amendment 4 “litigation” bureaucracy.
The Florida
Chamber of Commerce asked leading economists to study the impact of
Amendment 4.
The study indicates that Amendment 4 would likely put more than 267,000
Floridians out of work, shrink Florida’s economic output by more than $34
billion annually, and take nearly $12 billion out of the pockets of working
families.
With
Florida’s jobless rate reaching well into double digits, our state’s top
business and labor groups have put politics aside to oppose Amendment 4.
Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce wrote: “If you like
the recession, you’ll love Amendment 4.” Frank Ortis, executive board
member with Florida’s AFL-CIO noted that “Amendment 4 will devastate Florida's
economy by costing hundreds of thousands of jobs and driving the unemployment
rate even higher.”
According to
the Orlando Sentinel, “The cost to local governments of [Amendment 4]
would soar into the millions.” Those costs would be shouldered by Florida’s
taxpayers who could expect to see not only more government waste, but also
nonstop lawsuits as special interests wage war in court over the technical
wording of endless ballot summaries. Referencing a failed experiment in
Amendment 4-style rule in the small Florida town of St. Pete Beach, the St.
Petersburg Times wrote that Amendment 4 leads to “short-term thinking” and
“invites lawsuits…”
What is the
conclusion?
Florida’s
jobless rate is high—but it could get much, much worse with the passage of
Amendment 4. At a time when many families and small businesses are
struggling to make ends meet, that’s the last thing we need. Please take
the time to learn more about Amendment 4 by
visiting www.Florida2010.org.
The Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce
is the unified voice of business in Pinellas County. Its
Government Affairs Division acts on a local, state and federal
level to support legislative issues critical to our area’s
continued economic success.
The Government Affairs Division:
Monitors government actions and policies; Maintains communication with local and regional officials; Develops positions on local, state and federal issues
impacting the
Pinellas County business community; Acts as the communications link to the Chamber membership
concerning
these key issues; and Organizes the membership to advocate on behalf of pro-business
issues
at the local, state and federal levels.
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