Florida Ballot Measures 2016: Medical Marijuana Passes; Solar Fizzles Out

Three of four constitutional amendments on the 2016 Florida ballot got a thumbs up from voters Tuesday. The only one to fail was a utility company-backed measure that could have put up a constitutional barrier to new laws to broaden the solar power market in the Sunshine State.

Approval of Amendment 1 may have also jeopardized consumers’ ability to obtain credits from utility companies when solar equipment they own or lease produces excess power that could be returned to the power grid.

Amendment 1, however, failed to garner the 60 percent of the vote required for Florida Constitutional amendments to pass. Instead, it only received about 50.7 percent of the vote. An estimated total of 49 percent of voters rejected the measure in unofficial results provided by the Florida Division of Elections Tuesday night.

Voters like Neris Franco of the Pinecrest suburb of Miami said they weren't fooled by the confusing wording of the measure.

"I had big issues with the language of Amendment 1. I'm educated and I know how to teach myself before I go to the voting polls," she explained. "If you just look at it, it's like up with solar. But that's not what its about. It's about FP&L (Florida Power & Light) increasing their profits for shareholders and about making sure that solar isn't promoted in the state of Florida."

Amendment 2, which allows for broadened use of medical marijuana for “debilitating medical conditions,” received strong support from voters. An estimated 71 percent of Florida voters were in favor of the measure, well beyond the required 60 percent. Less than 30 percent were against the measure. Amendment 2 also allows for the creation of medical marijuana treatment centers where medicinal marijuana will be cultivated and dispensed to patients and caregivers with doctor certification.

This amendment appeared to draw broad support from Florida voters, including 71-year-old Robert Heber of the Broward County suburb of Pembroke Pines.

"I voted for medical marijuana," said Heber, a semi-retired business consultant who voted for Donald Trump in the presidential race. "I think it's got some medical benefits and I'm not talking about the side of medical marijuana that has all the funky stuff with it."

Voters like Miami attorney David LaValle had no problem drawing a distinction between medical uses of marijuana as compared to recreational uses.

"Medical marijuana I think is something that's generally acceptable to the general public," he said. "Legalizing marijuana is an elevated concern."

The final measures on the ballot were a pair of property tax exemptions. Amendment 3 provides for a property tax exemption for first responders who are permanently disabled in a line-of-duty incident. That measure passed with 83 percent approval. The second measure, Amendment 5, offers a homestead tax exemption for low-income seniors who already qualify for city- or county-approved property tax exemptions.

The amendment protects those seniors from property tax hikes should the value of their property rise beyond a $250,000 threshold. The amendment is designed to prevent seniors who currently qualify for exemptions from losing them should their property values rise. The measure passed with an estimated 78 percent of the vote, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

Results are considered unofficial until they are certified by the state.

Patch editor Sherri Lonon contributed to this report.