Jeb Bush Comes Out Swinging at Amendments 4, 5 and 6

Former Gov. Jeb Bush offered his take on proposed amendments on the November ballot in an editorial on Thursday in the Tampa Tribune.

Bush took aim at the hometown democracy amendment and two measures being backed by FairDistricts Florida.

Amendment 4 requires voter approval of every change to a city or county's comprehensive land-use plan, wrote Bush. It has the potential to completely stall our economy, making it harder to create and grow jobs and to responsibly manage growth in our beautiful state. One city in Florida that tried a similar local law has found that the idea which initially sounded good to local voters has caused years of costly litigation that burdens taxpayers and drives jobs and business elsewhere. If Amendment 4 does not work in a city of 10,000 people, it is hard to imagine that it will work in a state of 18 million. I'll vote no.

Amendments 5 and 6 change the way Florida draws legislative and congressional district boundaries, continued Bush. While not perfect, Florida's system of representative democracy has resulted in one of the most diverse groups of elected officials in the nation and increased minority participation in government. Amendments 5 and 6 could potentially jeopardize the progress Florida has made in creating opportunities for all individuals to serve in their government. The nonpartisan James Madison Institute says that enactment of these proposed amendments would likely result in protracted litigation and districts that are ultimately devised by judges rather than elected representatives.