Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen - August 2020 | Page 10

2020 Elections: More than
electing officials
By Scott Jenkins, Carlton Fields
While the headlines are dominated with news
regarding who will be running our country in
Washington, D.C. and our state in Tallahassee this
November, Florida voters will also be tasked with
making important decisions regarding amendments
to the State Constitution.
These proposed amendments have made the
ballot through two separate processes: those
proposed by petition and those proposed by the
State Legislature. For 2020, the petition process
produced four proposed amendments, while the
Legislature proposed two.
Here is a summary off the amendments that will
appear on the ballot in November:
AMENDMENT 1
TITLE: CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT TO VOTE IN
FLORIDA ELECTIONS
BALLOT SUMMARY: This amendment provides that
only United States Citizens who are at least eighteen
years of age, a permanent resident of Florida,
and registered to vote, as provided by law, shall be
qualified to vote in a Florida election.
SPONSOR: FLORIDA CITIZEN VOTERS
YES VOTE: CHANGES CURRENT FLORIDA LAW
TO REFLECT THE FOLLOWING (deletes the words
“Every citizen” and replaces with “Only a citizen”)
NO VOTE: KEEPS “EVERY CITIZEN” LANGUAGE IN
CURRENT CONSTITUTION
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT (REQUIRED BY
LAW TO APPEAR ON BALLOT):
Because the proposed amendment is not expected
to result in any changes to the voter registration
process in Florida, it will have no impact on state or
local government costs or revenues. Further, it will
have no effect on the state’s economy.
AMENDMENT 2
TITLE: RAISING FLORIDA’S MINIMUM WAGE
BALLOT SUMMARY: Raises minimum wage to
$10.00 per hour effective September 30th, 2021.
Each September 30th thereafter, minimum wage
shall increase by $1.00 per hour until the minimum
wage reaches $15.00 per hour on September 30th,
2026. From that point forward, future minimum
wage increases shall revert to being adjusted annually
for inflation starting September 30th, 2027.
SPONSOR: FLORIDA FOR A FAIR WAGE; ORLANDO
ATTORNEY JOHN MORGAN
YES VOTE: FLORIDA MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES
TO $10 AN HOUR ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2021. PRO-
VIDES FOR $1 PER YEAR INCREASE UNTIL $15 AN
HOUR MINIMUM WAGE IS ACHIEVED SEPTEMBER
30, 2026.
CURRENT FL MINIMUM WAGE: $8.56 (HOURLY),
$5.56 (TIPPED WORKERS)
NO VOTE: MAINTAINS CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE
WITH ANNUAL INFLATION ADJUSTMENTS
LEGAL HISTORY: Florida voters adopted an amendment
in 2004 to tie minimum wage to inflation rates
when the rate was $5.15 an hour, then increased to
$6.15 an hour to the current rate of $8.56 an hour.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT (REQUIRED BY
LAW TO APPEAR ON BALLOT):
8 DITCHMEN • AUGUST 2020