Fla. Lawmakers May Avoid Major Issues in 2012
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Gary Fineout and Bill Kaczor
Source: Associated Press
Date: November 2, 2011
Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon will not pursue the proposal to overhaul the state Supreme Court that he pushed during the 2011 legislative session. The plan—to expand the high court from seven to 10 members and split it into separate criminal and civil divisions—was criticized as an attempt at “court packing.” Last week, however, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Cannon “would not pursue constitutional amendments to reform the Florida Supreme Court, his priority in 2011.” And an Associated Press article noted that Cannon would not pursue additional changes because he “was satisfied with a scaled-back proposal that is headed to voters next fall.” If that ballot measure is approved, the state Senate would confirm the governor’s nominees to the Florida Supreme Court.
See also: Bill Cotterell, Voting Districts, Budget Priorities in 2012 Session, Tallahassee Democrat, November 3, 2011.