In 2006, Floridians voted to make it harder for themselves, the citizens, to change their government, when they voted to require a super majority to pass constitutional amendments. That measure made Florida one of only two states that requires 60% to pass a referendum.
Now a group led by local tea party activists want Hillsborough County to adopt the same measure for local referenda, calling the current system of passing measures by a simple majority as "mob rule."
On Monday night, the Hillsborough County Charter Review Board will discuss and vote on that proposal, as well as an accompanying measure that wold contain a financial impact/study for that referendum.
Supporting the measure are many of the same tea party activists who prominently campaigned against the transit that that failed badly at the polls last month.
Karen Jaroch, the chair of the Tampa 912 project, invoked the now infamous "Pregnant Pigs" constitutional amendment that passed in 2002 statewide as a reason for the 60% margin that should be required locally. Another member of the group, Stacy Feiler, said "we should hold ourselves accountable to our Florida Legislation, and pass the law."
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2010.