Three Amendments Thrown Off Florida Ballot

Critics say one of the Legislature's proposed amendments would protect gerrymandering in Congressional districts.

The Florida Supreme Court has thrown three proposed constitutional amendments off November’s ballot – all of them passed by the state Legislature.

Amendment 9 would try to prohibit health-care requirements in Florida like those passed by Congress earlier this year. Several scholars questioned whether it would pass constitutional muster.

According to the Legislature, Amendment 7 sought to clarify two other amendments designed to end gerrymandering in Congressional and state legislative districts.

Critics said Amendment 7 would instead nullify the other two. Those amendments remain on the ballot.

Amendment 3 would have lowered tax increases on non-homestead property and expanded property-tax breaks to first-time homebuyers.

All three were struck down by a 5-2 margin, with Chief Justice Charles Canaday and Justice Ricky Polston dissenting.

In doing so, the Supreme Court agreed with lower courts that the language in each of these amendments was misleading.