All but three Florida amendments fail

Florida veterans, first responders and senior citizens are the only winners out of the 11 amendments on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot.

Amendments 2, 9 and 11 passed with a majority vote. Amendment 2 provides an expansion of the homestead property tax discount to all veterans residing in Florida, regardless of home of record at the time they joined the service. Amendment 9 provides an additional homestead property tax exemption to all surviving spouses of military veterans or first responders who die in the line of duty. Amendment 11 provides an additional homestead exemption to low-income seniors who maintain long-term residency in Florida. The amendments passed by 65.9 percent, 61.4 percent and 60.9 percent respectively.

Amendment 4 failed to pass with 55.2 percent of voters rejecting the proposal even though more than $4 million was spent to sway voters to support it. Realtor associations were the primary proponents of the amendment and they argued the amendment would have increased jobs and brought stability and predictability to small businesses. However, their rhetoric was rejected by Florida voters.

The remaining amendments all failed to garner 60 percent voter approval. To view the complete list of amendments visit http://enight.elections.myflorida.com/Constitutional/Amendment.aspx.