In the November 8 election, Florida citizens voted on four amendments that would each greatly impact a different community of individuals. But do you know what these amendments actually are, and if they passed? Here are the results:
Amendment 1: Solar Energy
This amendment was the deciding factor on whether or not Florida citizens would have the right to individually sell, lease, or own solar energy equipment for their personal use. It was protested against by the majority of millennials, especially on college campuses. Why?
Because this amendment would grant solar and electricity companies the power to control our use of energy. This, essentially, means that solar energy would not be used to benefit Florida citizens by decreasing the economic viability of the solar equipment and limiting the ability of its expansion, therefore disallowing the overall availability to the average user. This amendment, according to those opposed to the initiative, would essentially allow large utility companies to keep their reign over the energy market, which would completely eliminate the user's ability to control their own solar usage.
This amendment needed a 60 percent approval to pass, and only got 50 percent, which led to its defeat.
Amendment 2: Medical Marijuana
This amendment was designed to allow physician-prescribed marijuana in the state of Florida to individuals with debilitating diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Unlike amendment 1, this amendment was extremely accepted by college students, but did they truly understand the amendments components?
Though medical marijuana is an incredible innovation in the medical community, many young adults may have confused the legalization of these regulated medical strains for recreational use. Though this amendment will likely lead to a future amendment on recreational use of marijuana, Florida has been a state to approve the indulgent, self-induced use of this drug quite yet.
This amendment needed a 60 percent approval, and received a 71 percent approval by the state, and is on its way to being passed.
Amendment 3: Tax Exemption for Disabled First Responders
This amendment was clearly titled "tax exemption for totally and completely disabled first responders." This amendment was not as discussed on campuses around the state but is a highly debated topic regarding property taxes. Should disabled first responders be able to be exempt from paying property taxes?
Clearly, the state of Florida has respect for the first responders who devoted their life to the safety of our communities, because this amendment passed with flying colors with a whopping 83 percent approval!
This amendment will take place January 1, and it will allow first responders who have been completely disabled to be exempt from paying property taxes. Why is this important? It allows the state to repay these individuals who put their life on the line for the safety of our citizens. Though first responders are often overlooked, it is clear our state has a large amount of respect for those who chose to protect us.
Amendment 5: Tax Breaks/Exemption for Low-Income Seniors
This amendment, like amendment 3, was not highly discussed on college campuses, however, this was something that I think might have been misunderstood on the ballot. This amendment was not intended to allow seniors to be exempt from property taxes regardless of income, it was clear that this only applies to low-income seniors. According to the amendment, low-income seniors are defined as those who have a household income at or below $20,000 annually. This amendment was designed to ensure seniors' ability to keep their tax exemption even if their home value exceeded $250,000 in the future.
I think this amendment may have been overlooked by the majority of young adults because we have yet to understand the ins and outs of property taxes and the benefits of tax exemption for different individuals. The small number of individuals who opposed this amendment did so because they believed it unfairly gives lower tax rates to certain [senior] citizens based solely on age and the duration of their occupation. However, the majority of voters felt that it was beneficial to allow these low-income seniors to have the opportunity to be assessed for tax exemption in the cases deemed necessary.
Three out of the 4 amendments were passed here in the state of Florida, and the voter turnout exceeded the past two elections by a landslide. Did you vote on these amendments? And if so -- how much of the information did you really understand?
