Welcome to the dawn of the citizen legislator.
State House Speaker Richard Corcoran is making history here in Florida by unequivocally defending citizen government.
Since 77 percent of Florida voters enacted term limits on the Legislature in 1992, nobody has begged to bring the career politicians back. It’s one of the most popular changes we’ve ever made. Term limits brought down the barriers that blocked school choice and other landmark reforms. But that hasn’t stopped the political class in Tallahassee from waging a war on term limits. They’re always scheming to loosen the limit or do away with it entirely.
This is where Corcoran breaks from the herd in a remarkable way. He publicly defends the people’s choice of enacting term limits after eight years in the Legislature and admits “I never would have gotten elected but for term limits.”
Corcoran’s humility is refreshing in a time when egos often function as currency in the Capitol. As his colleagues struggle to explain why they hate term limits – since “I want more power” doesn’t poll so well – Corcoran wisely asks that they take a minute to remember the horse they rode in on.
When’s the last time a politician was thanking the voters for term limits instead of chastising them? As Bob Dylan said, the times they are a changin’.
If he stopped there, Corcoran would already represent an upgrade from the status quo. But he’s decided to do more by fighting for a two-term limit on Florida’s Supreme Court and appellate judges. This would revitalize the merit retention system which has so far failed to achieve its aim of putting a check on judicial power.
Since implementation, no member of the state Supreme Court has ever been defeated for retention. An appellate member hasn’t been beaten in over a decade. Either they’re all doing a perfect job or, as critics have suggested, we’ve let courts get infected with the same unbreakable incumbency that ruins legislatures.
A two-term judicial limit would also diversify the bench so decisions reflect the ideals of all Floridians instead of a select few. It’s a step in the right directionand one that might not have gotten traction had it not been a Corcoran priority.
Not everyone will enjoy this progression towards citizen government. If the people are making more decisions than fewer are left in the hands of lobbyists and special interests. It’s something Corcoran acknowledged in a floor speech last year when he declared war on the “Gucci-loafing, shoe-wearing special interest powers” who have seen their grip on government slip under term limits.
If you listen closely, you can already hear the Guccis tapping in Tallahassee where lobbyists are preparing to obstruct the new speaker’s reforms. These aren’t small setbacks. They’re a sign that the empire of ruling elites is striking back.
The empire used to win because no one was willing to stand up to it. No one with any clout, at least. With citizen legislators like Speaker Corcoran, that’s no longer the case. The people finally have products of citizen government advocating for the system that enabled their rise.
Will it make a difference? That remains to be seen. It will certainly take more cooperation than we’ve seen in years past. Regardless, term limits have brought citizen government back. And if Richard Corcoran keeps up the fight, it will be here to stay.
Nick Tomboulides is Executive Director of U.S. Term Limits, a non-partisan organization headquartered in Melbourne.
