Outside Spending and Florida's Constitutional Amendments

An article out today discusses the outside spending on behalf of two constitutional amendments on the ballot in Florida (ballot measures in Florida take the form of constitutional amendments which require 60% of the vote to pass). First in the article is amendment 2 -

A political committee of the SEIU Florida labor union has spent at least $1.05 million since late September to support Florida For A Fair Wage PAC, which is spearheading a proposal that would gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to a state campaign-finance database. The union’s contributions are described as “in-kind” but include covering the costs of digital ads, video production, text messaging and staffing.

The proposal, which appears on the ballot as Amendment 2, is often identified with prominent Orlando lawyer John Morgan, who spent millions of dollars to put it on the ballot and chairs Florida For A Fair Wage. If approved, the proposal would increase the state’s minimum wage — currently $8.56 an hour — to $10 on Sept. 30, 2021, and incrementally increase the rate each year until reaching $15 on Sept. 30, 2026.

I was fascinated to see John Morgan make an appearance, who is quite a prominent outside figure in Florida politics, and also appears in national newspaper articles as a moderate Florida Democrat and big donor (a May 2019 fundraiser at his house raised $1.7 million for Joe Biden). Morgan, of the law firm Morgan & Morgan (the kind with lots of billboards and ads on all the local tv stations), has been involved with Florida constitutional amendments before. In 2014 he spent millions to get a medical marijuana amendment on the ballot, which lost with 58% of the vote. He tried again in 2016, again spending millions, this time successfully. 

The opposition to amendment 2 is led by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, both of which receive substantial contributions from large Florida services industries, as well as chain stores such as Publix.

“Don’t vote yourself out of a job in November … Reject Job-Killing Amendment 2,” the Florida Chamber tweeted this month.

The other amendment discussed in the article, amendment 3, would establish open primaries in Florida. 

The political committee All Voters Vote, which has been primarily funded by Miami-Dade County businessman Mike Fernandez, has led the effort to pass the amendment. Fernandez last week contributed $1.2 million to the committee through a personal contribution and a related firm, MBF Family Investments Ltd. Fernandez also put $125,000 into the effort on Sept. 30, finance reports show.

All Voters Vote reported spending about $1.249 million during the past two weeks, with most of the money going to advertising-related expenses.

The proposed amendment has faced opposition from the state Republican and Democratic parties, though it is not clear how much they might have spent to fight it. Late last year, lawyers for the parties unsuccessfully asked the Florida Supreme Court to block the proposal.

Polling has been somewhat variable, with amendment 2 hovering around 60% approval and amendment 3 slightly lower (UNF poll from early October, with results for all 6 amendments). Although there will be a fight over these amendments and a contentious presidential election, one amendment is almost certain to pass, amendment 6, "Property Tax Discount for Spouses of Deceased Veterans."