Florida's concept limits are popular, but pointless

If we could set up a proposed constitutional change, in which 100 volunteers would meet the front series of the house and the Senate of visitor galleries and moon of our elected legislators on the opening day of each legislative session, it would probably be said goodbye to more than the 76% mandate “Eight”.

That is what the conceptual boundaries really are – a show of public contempt for powerful politicians. The Americans love to see the high and mighty offended, which is why the hay -gone rich lady gets a cake in the face in three Stooges comedies.

If you have improved Florida's law since 2000 when the terms of office came into force, please notify political science and the legal faculty of your next university. And try to show a certain cause and effect between the years in the state house or the Senate and the quality of the law.

Nevertheless, we show that we show our leaders who is the boss and adheres to the hope that new faces will somehow mean new ideas and better solutions. So Florida will never pick up its term limits.

However, there are opportunities around them, including the members who move back and forth between the house and the Senate when the circumstances develop.

In a political scenario that is worth a soap opera in the afternoon, the veteran legislator Debbie Mayfield wants to do this. It served in the house for eight years, moved to the Senate for eight and only returned to the house last November.

The neighboring legislator Randy Fine from Brevard County was also limited in the house last year and won Mayfield's former seat in the Senate. But now he is running for a special choice for the congress, so Mayfield wants to go back to the upper chamber.

Perhaps you think that this violates the mind if not against the letter of the conceptual limits. Governor Ron Desantis apparently thought that he refused from State Cord Byrd from Mayfield's qualification papers for the Senate special elections. In short, Mayfield sued and won a unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court in Florida, which said that she could run for her old job.

There was a bit of personal subplot (did I mention a soap opera?), The Republican politics and a good old -fashioned score. Mayfield did not support Desantis for the President last year – but the governor would not be so petty and vengeful that he would punish her for it, right?

Has a bear hair?

“He armed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of (Florida) just like Biden the Ministry of Justice against President Trump,” said Mayfield. “The law is on my side.”

So are the facts. Former Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, was released from the Senate in 2016 and is now back after he had lost for a while. The Broward County Democrat Lauren Book, who was released at the Senate in November, applied for again in 2028.

The key word of the law overlimates the law “consecutive”-they need a time exceeding (or a change in the chambers) before they can run again for their old job.

In the upcoming legislative period, Senator Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. Michael Owen would like to clarify the conceptual limits for a lifelong limit of 16 years in legislature, successive or not. That would be a maximum of eight in the house and eight in the Senate, with a small scope for some senators who serve two years of office due to redistribution.

“Let us end the practice of continuous combating people on the same office and the back and forth between the Chambers,” said Ingoglia about his proposed constitutional change (SJR 536). “To serve the people in Florida should be a privilege and an honor, not a career.”

Why not? The pitching for the Marlins or the teaching of algebra is also honorable work, but we don't let anyone stop just because some time goes by. If you are good at it and your voters are happy, why should the law assume that the legislator becomes poisonous after a while? If you are not good at it, let us complete it earlier.

However, this would have to know the names of our legislators and how they are correct. It is easier to support our voices in television advertising and social media sums through a candidate.

The change from Ingoglia is tempting, if only as an opportunity to take the shin legs of powerful politicians again. But if it doesn't happen, we may not be too fast to reject this mooning idea.

Bill Cotterell is a retired Capitol reporter for United Press International and the Tallahassee Democrat.

© 2025 The Florida news service.