New Statewide Survey Shows Broad Bipartisan Support for Protecting Florida’s Constitution
Likely Voters Say It’s Too Easy to Pass Amendments to Florida’s Constitution & Lawmakers Should Take Action
TALLAHASSEE, FL (March 5, 2020) –There is broad bipartisan consensus that it’s too easy to pass amendments to Florida’s Constitution, and the legislature must take action to prevent special interests from taking advantage of the system, according to the latest statewide survey of likely Florida voters released today by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
“While the Florida Legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis have enacted measures that have brought transparency to the signature gathering process, given voters more information at the ballot, and protected our state’s foundational document from constitutional clutter, Floridians recognize there’s still more work to be done to improve this process,” said David Hart, Executive Vice President, Florida Chamber of Commerce.
When asked about the process for getting an amendment to the state constitution on the ballot, 76 percent of 800 likely voters said adjustments are needed, compared to only 14 percent that said the process works very well and needs no adjustment.
Right now, the Florida Legislature is considering two bills, SB 1794 by Senator Travis Hutson and HB 7037 by Representative James Grant, that would provide stronger transparency by allowing voters to have more information about the measure when casting their vote.
When given a detailed description of SB 1794, 60 percent of voters said they support the bill. Again, survey results show this is far from partisan, with strong majorities of both parties, as well as independents, expressing support for the reform:
| TOTAL | DEM | IND | REP | |
| FAVOR | 60% | 55% | 57% | 69% |
| OPPOSE | 21% | 27% | 24% | 14% |
Support for SB 1794 is largely driven by the perception that it’s too easy to take advantage of the current system due to the ease of amending the state constitution. When asked whether they agree or disagree that the Florida Legislature needs to do more to stop special interest groups from abusing the process, 78 percent of voters agreed.
| TOTAL | DEM | IND | REP | |
| AGREE | 78% | 75% | 84% | 78% |
| DISAGREE | 15% | 18% | 11% | 14% |
“This robust response makes it clear that voters are ready for the Florida Legislature to act on what they see as an abuse of the constitutional amendment process,” Hart added.
SB 1794 is on the Senate Special Order Calendar for March 6, while HB 7037 is on the House Special Order Calendar for today, March 5.
ABOUT THIS POLL: The Florida Chamber of Commerce survey was conducted on March 1-3 by OnMessage, Inc. during live telephone interviews. The survey consists of 800 likely voters and was stratified to reflect historical turnout and the margin of error for this survey is +/-3.46%.
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The Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Florida Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FloridaChamber.com for more information.