A Message From Collins Center

Established with support from the Florida Bar Foundation, The P.L. Dodge Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, and with continued funding from the Florida Bar Foundation, the Collins Center Florida Amendments project provides an in-depth, interactive web site to help Floridians understand the upcoming constitutional amendments on the 2010 ballot.

This site will serve as your one-stop-shop for the latest news, information and analysis of the proposed amendments. You are invited to view the broad content that makes up this special section. Join in the discussions and voice your opinions and ideas on Florida's most important public document. Take our survey and let us know which amendments you favor and which you oppose. If you have links to groups advocating a position on the amendments, please send it so we can add it to our lists of resources.

On November 2, Florida voters will decide the fate of six proposed amendments to the state Constitution and one referendum question about the federal deficit. To help them make the best decision possible, this Collins Center initiative, now in its second year, features:

• Objective, nonpartisan analysis of the current amendments. Included are details about the history of the measures, the key players, arguments for and against, links to relevant sites, and more.
• An updated archive of recent media reports to enrich understanding of the measures
• A rich trove of information about the Florida Constitution and how the amendment process works
• Learn important information about the amendment and voting processes you should know before, on and after Election Day
• Updated Blog posts with insight from Collins Center staff and invited guests where you can share your comments
• Moderated forums where visitors are able to share and learn via discussions and engagement with others
• High-quality video presentations to make learning about the amendments interesting and fun
• Links to relevant websites where voters are able to explore the topics in further detail, even from subjective sources

To make this initiative even more engaging, we invite viewers to add their own content related to the amendments including comments, suggestions and links to additional content that helps build knowledge. Our goal is to provide visitors with objective and accurate information they can trust in the most accessible format possible. In order to do this effectively, we provide information that the visitor can access quickly through a variety of interactive media. Also available is a report that provides an easy to read summary of the proposed amendments. To download this report, select one of the files below:
- A Collins Center Report: 2010 Proposed Florida Amendments (low resolution)
- A Collins Center Report: 2010 Proposed Florida Amendments (high resolution)

A special publication about the proposed changes is being made available to every high school in the state. For more information, visit the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper in Education or download this special guide: 2010 Proposed Amendments.

Collins provides complete, nonpartisan information about the amendment proposals you'll see in 2010; the Center offers a secure online forum for discussing these important issues. The information contained on this site has been collected and fact-checked by the Collins Center for Public Policy, Inc., whose reputation as a non-partisan, independent, statewide organization, is devoted to helping Florida tackle its toughest challenges.