Case Name: Jim SMITH, Secretary of State, etc., et al., Appellants, v. COALITION TO REDUCE CLASS SIZE and Pre-K Committee, etc., Appellees
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2002-09-13
Citations: 827 So. 2d 959
Docket Number: No. SC02-1624
Parties: Jim SMITH, Secretary of State, etc., et al., Appellants, v. COALITION TO REDUCE CLASS SIZE and Pre-K Committee, etc., Appellees.
Judges: ANSTEAD, C.J., and SHAW, PARIENTE, LEWIS, and QUINCE, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 827
Pages: 959–967

Head Matter:
Jim SMITH, Secretary of State, etc., et al., Appellants, v. COALITION TO REDUCE CLASS SIZE and Pre-K Committee, etc., Appellees.
No. SC02-1624.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Sept. 13, 2002.
L. Clayton Roberts, General Counsel, and Heidi Hughes, Assistant General Counsel, Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, FL, for Appellants.
Mark Herron and Thomas M. Findley of Messer, Caparello & Self, P.A., Tallahassee, FL; and Laurie Mathews of Hunton & Williams, Miami, FL, for Appellees.
Charles T. Canady, General Counsel, Carlos G. Muniz, Deputy General Counsel, and Simone Marstiller, Assistant General Counsel, Tallahassee, FL, for Jeb Bush, Governor of the State of Florida, Amicus Curiae.
Benjamin H. Hill, III, Lynn C. Hearn, and Mark J. Criser of Hill, Ward & Henderson, P.A., Tampa, FL, for The Florida House of Representatives, Amicus Curiae.

Opinion:
HARDING, Senior Justice.
We have for review a trial court judgment certified by the district court of appeal to be of great public importance and to require immediate resolution by this Court. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(5), Fla. Const. For the reasons expressed below, we affirm the trial court's judgment finding that the statutorily imposed fiscal impact statement is an unconstitutional imposition on the initiative process.
This case concerns the constitutionality of chapter 2002-390, Laws of Florida, which requires the Department of State to include for all proposed revisions or amendments to the state constitution by initiative "an analysis and fiscal impact statement" prepared by the Revenue Estimating Conference, estimating the "increase or decrease in any revenues or costs to state or local governments resulting from [the adoption of] the proposed initiative." The law requires the statement to be "clear and unambiguous" and to not exceed fifty words. The fiscal impact statement would be separately contained and placed on the ballot after the ballot summary.
Two political committees that were formed to advocate the adoption of proposed amendments sought a temporary injunction enjoining the Secretary of State from placing the fiscal impact statements on the November 2002 ballot. The committees pointed out to the circuit court that this Court has already approved the ballot titles and summaries for both initiatives. See Advisory Opinion to the Attorney General re Voluntary Universal PreKindergarten Education, 824 So.2d 161 (Fla.2002); Advisory Opinion to the Attorney General re Florida's Amendment to Reduce Class Size, 816 So.2d 580 (Fla. 2002). The circuit court below granted the injunction, finding the fiscal impact statement requirement facially unconstitutional because it violates article XI, sections 3 and 5 of the Florida Constitution. The circuit court also found the provision unconstitutional as applied to appellees and others who have already had their proposals approved by this Court for placement on the ballot, since it would abrogate vested rights in violation of the due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions. Therefore, the circuit court enjoined appellants from placing a fiscal impact statement for any initiative on the November ballot.
On appeal, the First District Court of Appeal concluded that the case was one requiring immediate resolution by this Court, pursuant to Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.125. See Harris v. Coalition to Reduce Class Size, 824 So.2d 245 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002). The district court noted that the ballots for the November 2002 election must be printed and mailed no later than September 21.
We begin our analysis by addressing the appropriate standard of review. In Operation Rescue v. Women's Health Center, 626 So.2d 664 (Fla.1993), this Court stated the following regarding an appellate court's standard of review of a trial court's grant of an injunction:
Where an injunction is issued and challenged, Florida's appellate courts possess express authority to review the order. Fla. R.App. P. 9.130(a)(3)(B). The scope of review, however, is limited. As a general rule, trial court orders are clothed with a presumption of correctness and will remain undisturbed unless the petitioning party can show reversible error. To the extent it rests on factual matters, an order imposing a permanent injunction lies within the sound discretion of the trial court and will be affirmed absent a showing of abuse of discretion. This is particularly true where the order relies on live testimony or other evidence that the trial court is singularly well-suited to evaluate. Abuse of discretion, of course, is judged by the general "reasonableness" standard:
In reviewing a true discretionary act, the appellate court must fully recognize the superior vantage point of the trial judge and should apply the "reasonableness" test to determine whether the trial judge abused his discretion. If reasonable men could differ as to the propriety of the action taken by the trial court, then the action is not unreasonable and there can be no finding of an abuse of discretion. The discretionary ruling of the trial judge should be disturbed only when his decision fails to satisfy this test of reasonableness.
Canakaris v. Canakaris, 382 So.2d 1197, 1203 (Fla.1980). To the extent it rests on purely legal matters, an order imposing an injunction is subject to full, or de novo, review on appeal.
Id. at 670 (citations omitted).
The issue in this case is whether chapter 2002-390 violates the Florida Constitution. Article XI, section 3 of the Florida Constitution, entitled "Initiative," provides:
The power to propose the revision or amendment of any portion or portions of this constitution by initiative is reserved to the people, provided that any such revision or amendment, except for those limiting the power of government to raise revenue, shall embrace but one subject and matter directly connected therewith. It may be invoked by filing with the secretary of state a petition containing a copy of the proposed revision or amendment, signed by a number of electors in each of one half of the congressional districts of the state, and of the state as a whole, equal to eight percent of the votes cast in each of such districts respectively and in the state as a whole in the last preceding election in which presidential electors were chosen.
Article XI, section 5, entitled "Amendment or Revision Election," provides:
(a) A proposed amendment to or revision of this constitution, or any part of it, shall be submitted to the electors at the next general election held more than ninety days after the joint resolution, initiative petition or report of revision commission, constitutional convention or taxation and budget reform commission proposing it is filed with the secretary of state, unless, pursuant to law enacted by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the membership of each house of the legislature and limited to a single amendment or revision, it is submitted at an earlier special election held more than ninety days after such filing.
(b) Once in the tenth week, and once in the sixth week immediately preceding the week in which the election is held, the proposed amendment or revision, with notice of the date of election at which it will be submitted to the electors, shall be published in one newspaper of general circulation in each county in which a newspaper is published.
(c) If the proposed amendment or revision is approved by vote of the electors, it shall be effective as an amendment to or revision of the constitution of the state on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the election, or on such other date as may be specified in the amendment or revision.
In State ex rel. Citizens Proposition for Tax Relief v. Firestone, 386 So.2d 561 (Fla.1980), this Court found that article XI, section 3 was a self-executing constitutional provision. Accordingly, this Court recognized that the Legislature only has limited authority to adopt regulations that affect the initiative process:
This is a self-executing constitutional provision. It clearly establishes a right to propose by initiative petition a constitutional amendment which may be implemented without the aid of any legislative enactment. Gray v. Bryant, 125 So.2d 846 (Fla.1960). In this regard, this initiative process has already produced a constitutional amendment which was adopted without the benefit of the subject statute or rule. Art. II, § 8 (Ethics in Government).
The four methods of amending our constitution must be considered as a whole to effect their overall purpose. Smathers v. Smith, 338 So.2d 825 (Fla.1976). They are delicately balanced to reflect the power of the people to propose amendments through the initiative process and the power of the legislature to propose amendments by its legislative action without executive check. Only these two methods can produce constitutional amendment proposals at each general election. The power to propose amendments to the electorate by the constitution revision commission or a constitutional convention procedure is substantially restricted by their ability to exist. In considering any legislative act or administrative rule which concerns the initiative amending process, we must be careful that the legislative statute or implementing rule is necessary for ballot integrity since any restriction on the initiative process would strengthen the authority and power of the legislature and weaken the power of the initiative process. The delicate symmetric balance of this constitutional scheme must be maintained, and any legislative act regulating the process should be allowed only when necessary to ensure ballot integrity. We do, however, recognize that the legislature, in its legislative capacity, and the secretary of state, in his executive capacity, have the duty and obligation to ensure ballot integrity and a valid election process. Ballot integrity is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the constitutionally provided initiative process.
Id. at 566-67. In Tax Relief, the appellant citizens group was attempting to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot by initiative pursuant to article XI, section 3. An existing statute and administrative rule imposed certain requirements on an initiative's sponsor before the proposal would be placed on the ballot. Among these were verification procedures for the signatures found on the petition and a requirement that initiative petitions be filed with the secretary of state 122 days preceding the next general election rather than the ninety days required in article XI, section 5. This Court determined that procedures for signature verification were constitutional as they were necessary for ballot integrity. However, this Court rejected the 122-day cutoff date, finding that there was no constitutional authority for the limitation.
Pursuant to the standard announced in this Court's opinion in Tax Relief, "[i]n considering any legislative act or administrative rule which concerns the initiative amending process, we must be careful that the legislative statute or implementing rule is necessary for ballot integrity." 386 So.2d at 566. Therefore, in the instant case, the Court must decide whether chapter 2002-390 is necessary to ensure ballot integrity. The circuit court below concluded that it was not. We agree.
Article XI does not contain any language, either explicit or implicit, regarding the fiscal impact of initiatives. Article XI, section 3 grants Floridians the power to amend the constitution by initiative. The requirements for exercising this power are set forth in article XI, section 3. If these requirements are met, then the sponsor of an initiative has the right to place the initiative on the ballot. However, with the passage of chapter 2002-390, an initiative's appearance on the ballot will be substantially altered, due to the addition of the fiscal impact statement. The effect of chapter 2002-390 would be to "weaken the power of the initiative process." Tax Relief, 386 So.2d at 566. Hence, we are unable to conclude that chapter 2002-390 is necessary to ensure ballot integrity.
The appellants and the House of Representatives, as amicus, argue that the fiscal impact statement is necessary for the electorate to be informed. While we do not in any way diminish the importance of an informed electorate, we find that the fiscal impact statement does not go to the ballot integrity which is a prerequisite for any legislative involvement in the initiative process.
In Miami Heat Ltd. Partnership v. Leahy, 682 So.2d 198 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996), the Third District Court of Appeal considered an analogous case. In Leahy, the appellants argued that an initiative petition violated section 12-12 of the Dade County Code, which provided that "Initiative petitions proposed pursuant to Sections 7.01 or 8.07 of the Dade County Home Rule Charter shall embrace but one subject and matter directly connected therewith." The in-tervenor responded that the Home Rule Charter provided the sole procedure and qualifications an initiative petition must meet for submittal to the electorate and therefore section 12-12 was invalid and no single-subject requirement was applicable. The district court agreed:
We agree with the intervenor that the Home Rule Charter provides the only method for initiating referenda on ordinances and does not impose a single subject requirement. Article VIII, section ll(l)(i) of the 1885 Florida Constitution, carried forward by Article VIII, section 6(e) of the' 1968 Florida Constitution, states that the Home Rule Charter "[sjhall provide a method for . initiative and referendum, including the initiation of and referendum on ordinances . " Section 7.01 of the Charter carries out the constitutional directive and lays out a "procedure" for Dade County electors to initiate passage of or referen-da on ordinances. Nowhere in that procedure is there a requirement that initiative petitions embrace only a single subject.
Id. at 202. Citing to this Court's decision in Tax Relief, the district court concluded that section 12-12 of the Code was not "necessary to ensure ballot integrity" and that such a restriction on the initiative process would strengthen the authority and power of the County Commission but weaken the power of the initiative process. Id. The district court stated that the charter was supreme and if the Board of County Commissioners wished to impose a single subject requirement on initiative petitions, it must do so by amendment to the charter itself. See id. at 203.
Similarly, in the instant case, the proper way to impose a fiscal impact requirement would be to amend article XI as the 2001 Legislature proposed by passage of House Joint Resolution 571. House Joint Resolution 571 will appear on the November 2002 ballot. If Floridians wish to have a fiscal impact statement included with all initiatives to amend the constitution, then they can vote to adopt House Joint Resolution 571. We emphasize that our opinion should not be interpreted as a comment on the wisdom of having or not having a fiscal impact statement included with initiatives to amend the constitution or the wisdom of adopting or not adopting House Joint Resolution 571. We only conclude that the fiscal impact statement requirement cannot be imposed on the initiative process by statute or administrative rule.
Accordingly, for the reasons expressed in this opinion, we affirm the circuit court's judgment. No motion for rehearing will be permitted.
It is so ordered.
ANSTEAD, C.J., and SHAW, PARIENTE, LEWIS, and QUINCE, JJ., concur.
WELLS, J., dissents with an opinion.
. We note that the Legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment which would require a fiscal impact statement to be placed on the ballot for all future proposed constitutional amendments by initiative. The citizens of this state will be given the opportunity to vote on this amendment in the November 2002 election.
. The two groups are the Coalition to Reduce Class Size and the Pre-K Committee.
. We review the circuit court's legal finding de novo. See Operation Rescue, 626 So.2d at 670.
. In its amicus brief, the House of Representatives asserts that ten states have statutory fiscal impact requirements for initiatives even though the right of initiative is provided for in the state constitutions of the respective states. The House adds that these fiscal impact requirements have not been challenged in any of these stales. However, we note that there are differences between our state constitution and some of the other state constitutions. For instance, article 19, section 5 of the Nevada Constitution provides that "[t]he provisions of [the initiative] article are self-executing but the legislature may provide by law for procedures to facilitate the operation thereof" There is no such grant of legislative authority in article XI of the Florida Constitution.
. House Joint Resolution 571 provides in relevant part:
A joint resolution proposing a revision of Article XI, Section 5 of the State Constitution requiring the Legislature to provide by general law for the provision of an economic impact statement of each amendment proposed by initiative to the State Constitution prior to its adoption by the voters of the state. Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
That the amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be submitted to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection at the general election to be held in November 2002:
SECTION 5. Amendment or revision election.—
(b) The legislature shall provide by general law, prior to the holding of an election pursuant to this section, for the provision of a statement to the public regarding the probable financial impact of any amendment proposed by initiative pursuant to Section 3.