The coalition of former elected leaders questions the CRC process and urges
voters to keep its proposed amendments out of the Florida Constitution.
Save My Constitution, a coalition of former Florida elected officials, launched its efforts to oppose the constitutional amendments proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) on the November ballot. At a press conference at the Capitol, the former legislators raised serious objections to the CRC process, which the group plans to work to abolish or significantly reform. It is also urging Florida voters to oppose all CRC amendments.
Former Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp:
“We may not be public officeholders any longer, but we still take the duty to support, protect, and defend the Florida Constitution seriously, and when something suspicious happens in the public policy arena, we feel compelled to act. The CRC is an unelected body that represents nobody and is not accountable to anybody, and it plainly acted beyond the scope of its given authority as defined in the Florida Constitution. We believe Florida voters are being preyed upon by a multitude of confusing, intentionally misleading, and politically bundled constitutional amendments that were promoted by special interests groups. This is an assault on our Constitution by ideas and proposals that clearly do not belong in our Constitution. We are standing up today out of genuine concern for our communities, out of fear for our children and grandchildren, and because we have a burden for the integrity and preservation of our Constitution and our state.”
Former State Representative Jim Kallinger:
“The bottom line is the CRC and its proposals simply cannot be trusted. These proposals are intentionally and dishonestly drafted to be vague in order to confuse voters and conceal their political agenda. We plan to educate voters on the duplicity of the CRC and the dangers of these proposed amendments from now through the November election through speaking engagements and both social and traditional media. We sincerely feel it is our obligation and duty to fairly warn Floridians about what is going on and encourage them to vote NO on all CRC amendments.”
Former State Representative Don Brown:
“The unfortunate conduct of the CRC can serve as a vitally important lesson and a strong reason for the people of Florida to immediately restore a system of checks and balances in the processes used to amend our Constitution. The people’s voice must be preserved and the influence of special interests controlled. Toward that end, moving forward, our coalition will be earnestly working with our colleagues currently serving in the Florida House and Senate. We plan to begin discussions regarding the development of a joint resolution to be advanced during the session next year, which will result in a legislative resolution that will appear on the ballot in 2020. We would like to either see the CRC abolished or the creation of an appropriate framework and scope of authority around the CRC that would prevent abuses of power in the future.”
Former State Representative Ken Littlefield:
“This is bigger than politics and political parties. This is about our Constitution and the future of our great state. The CRC proposals should be handled by our elected representatives through the legislative process, not placed in the Constitution. The abuse of power here is too flagrant and the potential consequences of inaction are too great. We can’t sit idly by and wait for this to happen again 20 years from now. The time for action is now, and we expect that our coalition will continue to grow as former members from both sides of the aisle learn what we are trying to accomplish. We look forward to engaging the people of Florida on this most important issue.”
In addition to Kottkamp, Kallinger, Brown, and Littlefield, Save My Constitution currently includes the following former elected officials:
Former Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll
Former Congresswoman Sandy Adams
Former Congressman Connie Mack
Former House Speaker Pro Tempore Lindsay Harrington
Former State Representative Carl Domino
Former State Representative Rich Glorioso
Former State Representative Stan Jordan
Former State Representative Bev Kilmer
Former State Representative Sheri McInvale
Former State Representative Ralph Poppell
Former State Representative Steve Precourt
Former State Representative John Quinones
