WFSU by Jim Ash

May 30, 2017

Constitution Revision Commission Chairman Carlos Beruff is ordering the prestigious, 37-member panel back to the drawing board to settle a dispute over ground rules. A marathon working group meeting in Tampa ended without a full review of draft procedures.

Commissioner Tom Lee, a former Senate President, complained the proposed rules would give the chairman too much power and invite back room deal making.

“If we don’t have credibility, if we don’t have a process and rules that create the kind of transparency and input…then we will lack credibility as we present issues to the public,” he said.

A handful of advocacy groups, including the League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union, are also calling for a more open process. [READ MORE]