The veto pen got a workout Tuesday. Gov. Charlie Crist deep-sixed three more bills, including a priority of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Republican leadership. The bill would have shortened the four-year window for submission of initiative petitions to 30 days.
"This provision significantly burdens the right of Florida citizens to propose amendments to the Florida Constitution by increasing the likelihood that voters, through no fault of their own, will be denied the opportunity to have their voices heard," Crist wrote in a veto message on SB 900 by Sen. Bill Posey of Rockledge.
Crist's veto is sure to win praise from a broad coalition of pro-initiative organizations that fought the bill, including Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, Florida PIRG, ACORN and People for the American Way -- not to mention left-leaning groups like the Florida AFL-CIO.
All three vetoed bills were sponsored by Republicans.
Crist also vetoed a bill sponsored by Rep. Faye Culp, R-Tampa, that he said bypassed an existing management agreement for operation of the Babcock Ranch Preserve in southwest Florida. And he torpedoed a bill by Rep. Ed Homan, R-Tampa, that Crist said made sweeping changes to Florida's Administrative Procedures Act, which regulates state agencies and bureaucrats.
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