Leon Co. judge axes amendment 5 vote

Judge John C. Cooper ruled Thursday that language on the November 4 ballot regarding a state constitutional amendment to rewrite Florida property tax laws was misleading and incomplete. The Leon County judge struck the measure from the ballot. An appeal is widely expected. The judge said the ballot in question misleads voters by implying a balanced trade-off that would require state lawmakers to use a sales tax increase and other sources to replace a $9 billion hole the property tax cut would leave in Florida’s school budget. A coalition of business and school groups opposes the measure.