New Survey Shows Majority of Floridians Are Against
Abolishment of Florida’s Constitution revision Commission
While the Florida legislature seems on track to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), a new survey released today by the LeRoy Collins Institute shows the majority of Floridians do not agree.
In response to the question whether abolishing the CRC is a good idea or bad idea for the state, 51 percent of respondents reported that abolishing the CRC was a bad idea. Of these respondents, 54 percent said they felt strongly about this.
The Collins Institute survey found that respondents did not follow the 2017-2018 CRC process closely, with only one in four reported that they read or heard anything about the most recent CRC. Despite that, the public appears to be reflecting an overall view that the CRC is a good idea for the state—some 70 percent of those surveyed said the CRC was a good idea when asked. Of these, 62 percent held this view strongly.
Support for the CRC is highest with college-educated respondents (76 percent supported) and Hispanics (73 percent supported), reporting that it was a good idea for the state. Some 56 percent of college educated respondents thought abolishing the CRC was a bad idea for the state; 42 percent of Hispanic respondents thought so.
The legislature’s action follows widespread criticism of the 2017-2018 CRC, which included criticism about the body bundling several issues in the seven amendments it presented to voters in 2018. (All seven were ratified by the voters.)
The survey included 543 Floridians and was part of the University of Florida’s Economic and Business Bureau Consumer Sentiment survey in the field Nov. 13-Dec. 17, 2019.
The LeRoy Collins Institute is a non-partisan research institute focused on policy issues facing Florida. It was the lead organization in a Partnership for Revising Florida’s Constitution, a group of organizations that provided education about the 2017-2018 CRC. The Institute has urged the legislature to amend, not abolish the CRC.
About the LeRoy Collins Institute
Established in 1988, the LeRoy Collins Institute is a nonpartisan, statewide policy organization which studies and promotes creative solutions to key private and public issues facing the people of Florida and the nation. The Institute, located in Tallahassee at Florida State University, is affiliated and works in collaboration with the State University System of Florida. Named in honor of former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, the Institute is governed by a distinguished board of directors, chaired by Lester Abberger. Other board members include executives, local elected officials, and other professionals from throughout the state.
