Miami citizens take matters in their own hands

The voters of Miami had had enough. In March 2011, they threw out a rapacious and incompetent mayor via a lopsided recall election and called for real reform of the county commission including 8-year term limits.

The commissioners trembled in light of the 88 percent vote to fire Mayor Carlos Alvarez. We hear you loud and clear, they said. Real reform is indeed needed. And then they put a 12-year term limits proposal on a special May 24, 2011, ballot.

It didn't work. The reformers opposed the proposal and the voters shot it down. When the politicians initially tried to claim the voters had rejected term limits, the clamor grew louder. No one believed it. Like everywhere else, 12-year term limits are just a ploy by politicians to avoid the shorter limits that the people demand.

OK, OK, they said. We hear you now, 8-year term limits it is. No problem. And the commission put genuine 8-year term limits on the ballot for voter approval, but this time it was linked to a huge pay raise from $6,000 to over $92,000 a year. The term limits would go into effect in eight years; the salary increase was immediate.

Again the voters scorned them, rejecting the scam initiative 46 to 56 percent on Jan. 31.

Now the reformers are taking matters in their own hands, starting a citizens initiative to put genuine 8-year term limits on the ballot themselves under the auspices of the Miami Voice political committee. It won't be easy, as access to the ballot will require 120,000 valid signatures.

Maybe commissioners will step up and put the standalone 8-year language on the ballot. Two are saying they aim to do just that. I'll believe it when I see it.

Looking out for #1 in Tallahassee

The root of public cynicism towards government from both the left and right is the belief that politicians are more interested in their own personal interests than the interests of the people. Term limits underscore this divide like few other issues do.

Consider this: Polling from 2009 suggests that 85 percent of Central Florida voters support term limits on their public officials. That includes well over three-quarters of Republicans, Democrats and independents.

And yet, consider this defiant statement from Central Florida State Rep. Scott Randolph of Orlando when asked about his opposition to a bill that would protect county voters' right to impose term limits at the ballot box:

"I'm just firmly against term limits," Rep. Randolph said.

Congressional term limits resolution advances -- Take Action!

The Congressional term limits memorial, in which the state legislature officially calls on the Florida Congressional delegation to enact term limits at the federal level, has advanced through key committees in both the Florida State House and Senate, but it still faces obstacles before it reaches the floor for a vote.

In the House, Rep. Matt Caldwell's HM83 passed the Federal Affairs Subcommittee and is now waiting for a vote in State Affairs. If it passes there, it will head to the floor for a full vote.

In the Senate, Sen. Joe Negron's SB672 passed the Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections by a vote of 7-3. It is now heading towards it final stop in the Senate Rules Committee. This is a tough one, but we do have an ace in the hole: Sen. Negron sits on this committee!

Recall this memorial is important. If successful if Florida, we'll work in other states to pass similar resolutions to ignite an official clamor for Congressional term limits. Right now there are bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress with cosponsors calling for 3/2 (that is, three terms in the House and two in the Senate) term limits amendment. But for the amendment to go the states for ratification, the easy part, it has to get through the Congress itself.

Please take action now:

1) Contribute to the effort. The Campaign for Liberty has chosen these bills as a priority and grassroots lobbyist John Hallman is on the case. Please make a contribution right now to C4L. All contributions through this link go solely to the legislative effort.

2) Contact members of the Senate Rules Committee today and ask them for a floor vote on SB672. Click on their names below to send an email:

Chair: Senator John Thrasher (R)
Vice Chair: Senator JD Alexander (R)

Senator Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
Senator Anitere Flores (R)
Senator Don Gaetz (R)
Senator Andy Gardiner (R)
Senator Dennis L. Jones, D.C. (R)
Senator Evelyn J. Lynn (R)
Senator Gwen Margolis (D)
Senator Joe Negron (R)
Senator Garrett Richter (R)
Senator Gary Siplin (D)
Senator Christopher L. "Chris" Smith (D)
Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)

Thanks!

Nine Florida candidates sign Congressional term limits pledge -- so far

So far 99 candidates for the U.S. Congress have signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge, in which signatories commit to cosponsor and vote for a Congressional term limits amendment limiting House members to three terms and Senators to two.

Of these, nine signers hail from Florida. Here's the list: Deborah Pueschel (Congressional District 4); Craig Miller (CD 6); Anna Marie Trujillo (CD 19); Osvaldo Defaria (CD 20); Karen Harrington (pictured, CD 20); Joe Kaufman (CD 20); Adam Hasner (CD 22); George Lemieux (U.S. Senate); and Mike McCalister (U.S. Senate).

Print out the pledge from here and ask your Congressional candidate to sign one.

Some percentage of these challengers will win and after November, we'll have a new wave of cosponsors on the House and Senate bills.

UPDATE 2/13: The total is now up to 106 signatories, with a Floridian among the latest signers. From District 25, Democrat Justin Sternad of Cutler Bay is an enthusiastic signer who posted his pledge on his website. Thanks, Justin!

Senate candidate LeMieux blasts Mack, Nelson on term limits

The race for the U.S. Senate in Florida is hot and getting hotter. Sitting Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is considered a weak incumbent and has attracted a field of five serious challengers.

Fortunately, all of the challengers but one have signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge to cosponsor and vote for 3/2 term limits as represented in Sen. Jim Demint's term limits amendment bill. Speaking to a Tea Party group on Jan. 12, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux blasted the only candidates who haven't signed on, incumbent Sen. Nelson and fellow Republican primary challenger U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.

"You don't send career politicians to fix Washington," LeMieux told the Indian River County Tea Party in Vero Beach. "I would serve a term or two and go home."

Characterizing Mack's private-sector experience as "a market outreach coordinator for Hooters," LeMieux renewed his call for term limits and noted that he lives and works in Florida. "California doesn't need a third senator," the Gunster Law firm chairman said in reference to Mack's residence in Palm Springs with wife Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).

Ouch!

Term limits continues to play an important role in the Senate race. Adam Hasner reaffirmed his similar pledge to cosponsor the term limits amendment and even self-limit at the January meeting of the Republican Club of Central Palm Beach County.

Supremes to offer last word on constitutionality of county term limits

The Florida Supreme Court has decided to hear an appeal of the 4th District Court of Appeals decision in August that unanimously affirmed the constitutionality of voter-approved term limits throughout the state.

Here's the Supreme Court's order, issued today.

The appeal is being led by county politicians and their allies in Broward County who have been using the courts, so far unsuccessfully, to try to overturn 2000 referendum in which 80 percent of Broward voters limited the term of their county commissioners. The petitioners initial brief is due by Jan. 6, 2012.

If the Supreme Court affirms the 4th DCA's decision, it will finally secure the county commission term limits passed by voters in 10 of Florida's 20 charter -- or "home rule" -- counties. It would also give a green light to nascent county term limits efforts getting under way in Lee, Osceola and Miami-Dade Counties.

Politicians have challenged voter-approved term limits in several counties, notably Sarasota County where term limits are in the charter but where politicians have used local litigation and political manuevers to avoid enforcement. It is expected the Supreme Court will put a stop to such shenanigans. We'll see.

UPDATE: The court has also agreed to hear the Polk County case in which a county commissioner and a local crony are suing to try to overturn term limits.

UPDATE: In Sarasota, where local politicians are refusing to enforce the term limits in their county charter, a group of 16 citizens are asking a local judge to force the county to comply. Further, they are asking that the case go directly to the Supreme Court a la Polk.

First committee to hear Congressional term limits memorial

Good news! Per grassroots lobbyist John Hallman of the Campaign for Liberty, Rep. Matt Caldwell's Term Limits Memorial bill (HB83) will be heard in Federal Affairs Committee the first week of session, the week of January 10th. The next step will be the State Affairs Committee and then to the floor. Rep. Caldwell is confident.

Recall this Memorial is an official call from the Florida legislature to our Congressional delegation to support Congressional term limits. For the full story, go here.

Right now, the heavy lifting is on the Senate side. Keep in mind that genuine representatives of the people like Caldwell are few and far between. For the others, they need pressure from the people to do the right thing.

The first committee in the senate is the Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections. Let's contact the cahirman and ask for a hearing on Sen. Joe Negron's SB672, the Senate version of the Congressional Term Limits Memorial. Let's contact the others and ask them to support the bill. Just click on the senators names to send them an email.

Sen. Greg Evers is already on board and deserves a 'thank you.' Sen. Don Gaetz is the incoming Senate president and is worthy of special attention.

Chair:
Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R)
Vice Chair:
Senator Nancy C. Detert (R)

Senator JD Alexander (R)
Senator Oscar Braynon, II (D)
Senator Paula Dockery (R)
Senator Greg Evers (R)
Senator Don Gaetz (R)
Senator Arthenia L. Joyner (D)
Senator Steve Oelrich (R)
Senator Garrett Richter (R)
Senator David Simmons (R)
Senator Christopher L. "Chris" Smith (D)
Senator Eleanor Sobel (D)
Senator John Thrasher (R)

We need eight votes and only have one definite. Let's get to work!