FreedomWorks Florida Applauds Florida Eminent Domain Reform

Florida FreedomWorks activists throughout the state let legislators in Tallahassee know that they wanted their private property rights protected from the abuse of eminent domain. Last week Governor Bush signed House Bill 1567, restricting the ability of municipalities to transferring private property from one owner to another through eminent domain. FreedomWorks applauds Governor Bush and the Florida legislature for taking quick action to protect private property rights in Florida.

Over recent weeks, FreedomWorks activists met with several key leaders in the House and the Senate and expressed their concern about eminent domain abuse. The activists were led by FreedomWorks Florida State Director John Hallman and Florida Field Coordinator Tom Gaitens, and in addition to generating calls and letters in support of the legislation, FreedomWorks grassroots activists converged on the capitol in Tallahassee on April 4, 2006 to visit with law makers.

FreedomWorks ally Senator Burt Saunders was a key leader for meaningful reform. Senator Saunders agreed with FreedomWorks activists by saying, “the right to own property is a fundamental right and should be protected by the constitution.” Senator Saunders then led the fight by introducing an amendment that would protect private property by a constitutional amendment that would be voted on by the citizens in November.

Florida State Director John Hallman commented, “I would like to thank Senator Saunders for taking the lead on this important issue of protecting private property. Without his leadership on this, we would have only a statutory fix that could be changed at the whim of elected officials, with a constitutional amendment, property owners will be much more secure in their homes.”

Senator Saunders was quoted after the vote in the Senate as saying, “It was the efforts of FreedomWorks that focused the legislature in solving this problem.”

Florida Field Coordinator Tom Gaitens commented, “FreedomWorks activists were on the front lines of the most important and significant effort, in the United States, to hold back the roaring tide of the Kelo decision. We in Florida rallied, lobbied and pounded the flesh to exert support for the most sweeping eminent domain restrictions in the Nation. As promised, the Governor quickly signed into law the strongest possible language, to halt the private to private transfers via government use, of eminent domain in the nation.”

FreedomWorks is pleased Floridians will no longer be subjected to amendment violations of the right to private property for the benefit of developers and other private entities. ‘Public Use’ again means Public Use in Florida.