Legislative Session is upon us and the top concern for Florida’s lawmakers is tackling record unemployment in our state. However, this work is overshadowed by Amendment 4—a proposed change to our state constitution, which threatens to drive Florida’s unemployment rate even higher.
If passed, Amendment 4 would require taxpayer-funded referenda for any change to a local government’s comprehensive plan. This California-style “Vote on Everything” measure would often force voters to decide hundreds of minor, technical plan revisions on a single ballot. Ultimately, Amendment 4 will mean longer delays, higher costs, and more burdensome litigation for small businesses.
According to a study conducted by The Washington Economics Group (WEG), Amendment 4 would likely cost Florida over a quarter-of-a-million jobs. Construction would be hit the hardest, with more than 100,000 jobs lost. However, every sector of Florida's economy would be adversely impacted, including tourism, energy, telecommunications, retail, health care and education. Florida would also lose more 92,000 jobs in the knowledge-base services sector. These high-paying jobs, which represent the future of Florida’s economy, are crucial for the full and swift economic recovery of the Sunshine State. Professor Tony Villamil, a former economic advisor to Governor Bush and the lead economist for WEG stated, “Amendment 4's passage will have potentially devastating consequences to Florida's economy at a time when the economic situation at both the state and national levels is uncertain and at a time when attracting new businesses to Florida is essential for the future recovery and prosperity of the state and its residents." Villamil’s report indicates that Amendment 4 would further damage our economy by killing jobs and raising unemployment at a time when Florida’s working families and small businesses can least afford it.
Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation recently reported that February’s jobless rate rose to a record high of 12.2 percent. However, a recent report by the Gulf Coast Business Review (Amendment means unemployment) indicates that Amendment 4 could drive Florida’s jobless rate to well over 15 percent. Given the fact that our unemployment rate is continuing to rise, it is clear that the last thing Florida needs is Amendment 4, a proposal that would rapidly accelerate this alarming trend.
Amendment 4 is a reckless, short-sighted proposal which would undermine efforts to diversify Florida's economy by creating unpredictable and chaotic business conditions. And while Amendment 4 is a bad idea in any economy, the current recession would make it nothing short of catastrophic. For more information on Amendment 4 or Citizens for Lower Taxes and A Stronger Economy, please visit www.florida2010.org
Ryan Houck is the executive director of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy.
