The Florida Bar Launches Public Education Program to Engage Floridians in Constitution Revision

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With a recent survey showing that 9 of 10 Floridians are unaware of what the Constitution Revision Commission does, The Florida Bar today launched Protect Florida Democracy: Our Constitution, Our Rights, Our Courts, a statewide public education program to fill the void in Floridians' awareness of constitution revision and engage Floridians in this critical process.

"Florida's constitution determines how much power we the citizens give to our state government and what form that takes," said Michael J. Higer, President of The Florida Bar. "It is therefore important that we all tune in, stay informed and educated as to any process to amend Florida's Constitution. It is critical we stay engaged to make sure that we exercise great caution as to any proposed amendment."

A recent independent survey by Breakthrough Research found that 8 in 10 Floridians had never even heard of the Constitution Revision Commission. Of the few who had heard of the CRC, 1 in 3 wrongly identified its role, which spurred the Bar to create the Protect Florida Democracy public education program, which includes a website and statewide Speakers Bureau. The survey collected responses from a representative sample of about 800 Florida voters.

"The work of the Constitution Revision Commission has the potential to impact the lives of every Floridian, now and for many years to come. The Florida Bar is pleased to launch this program to inform and educate Florida's citizens and give them a voice," Higer said. "We urge every Floridian to get involved and participate in shaping our state government by following and participating in this once-every-20-year constitution revision process."

The CRC meets every 20 years to review and revise the Florida Constitution. It is the only method by which amendments affecting the full scope of Florida's Constitution may be put on the General Election ballot without review by the legislative, judicial or executive branches.

The commission convened in May and traveled the state on a listening tour to hear residents' thoughts and ideas about revising the Florida Constitution. All proposed amendments by the CRC are due to be filed by May 10, 2018. Protect Florida Democracy will remain active throughout the duration of this period.

Protect Florida Democracy is a public education program by The Florida Bar. Learn more at www.protectfldemocracy.org.

SOURCE The Florida Bar