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Bennett seeks to loosen legislative term limits and extend them to local officials

Posted Nov 6, 2009 by Catherine Dolinski, Tallahassee bureau

Updated Nov 6, 2009 at 04:59 PM

Sen. Mike Bennett is again pitching a Constitutional amendment that would stretch term limits for state lawmakers from eight consecutive years to 12. This time, the plan comes with a twist: new term limits for elected local officials, too.

Bennett proposed 12-year term limits for state lawmakers last session, by tacking it on to Sen. Dave Aronberg’s proposed property tax discount for military veterans. Bennett let his amendment drop after House leaders declared it would sink the veterans initiative. (The veterans tax break then passed and will appear on the 2010 ballot.)

At the time, Bennett said he had proposed the amendment because he had missed the bill filing deadline. This time around he’s ahead of schedule, and has expanded the legislation to create new, 12-year term limits for county and city officers as well.

“The people in the state of Florida have shown they like term limits,” said Bennett, who’s still shopping for a House sponsor. “This opens up the whole idea.”

His proposal would also extend the length of service for House members ands senators between elections. Representatives would be elected for four years at a time instead of two; senators would be elected for six years at a time instead of four. That, Bennett argues, will let lawmakers focus more on their jobs and less on campaigns. (Note: Bennett terms out in 2010, before the proposal could take effect.)

Florida voters approved the “Eight Is Enough” limit in 1992; as recently as April, polls were still showing that most remain happy with that decision. But skeptics argue the current system has made short-term lawmakers too dependent on staff and beholden to lobbyists. Would voters be willing to extend legislative terms, if it meant they could slap local officials with new limits at the same time? Stay tuned; we expect that state lawmakers will be pondering the same question.