Constitution of Florida
Florida's first constitution as a U.S. territory was written and implemented in 1838. On March 3, 1845, Florida was granted admission into the Union as the 27th state. The current Constitution of Florida was ratified on November 5, 1968, and has been modified by initiative and referendum several times since.
Constitution of Florida
The provision was proposed during the 1978 Constitutional Revision Commission by Chief Justice Overton of the Florida Supreme Court. It was put to the electorate by the Commission as part of a package of provisions in a single amendment, which failed. In 1980, the Florida Legislature, believing there was significant public interest in this provision, passed a resolution placing the provision as a single amendment on the 1980 general election that was approved by voters, becoming a part of the Florida Constitution.