PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — This Election Day, Pinellas County had seven charter amendments and a school millage referendum on the ballot.
The amendments were proposed by the Pinellas County Charter Review Commission, which is appointed every eight years to suggest changes to the local county government.
All seven charter amendments received more than 50% of the vote, meaning all seven charter amendments passed.
Here's a breakdown of Pinellas County's charter amendments.
Pinellas County Amendment 1- Commissioner term limits
Pinellas County commissioners currently serve unlimited terms. Amendment 1 will create 12-year term limits, so after serving for 12 years, commissioners will have to sit out for four years before they can run again.
89.63% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 1.
Pinellas County Amendment 2- Petition timeframes
Amendment 2 will set a timeframe for citizens to collect enough signatures to get an initiative on the ballot.
72.67% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 2.
Pinellas County Amendment 3- Petition signatures
Amendment 3 lowers the number of signatures needed to get an initiative on the ballot from 8% to 5% of all registered voters in the county.
52.05% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 3.
Pinellas County Amendment 4- County attorney
Amendment 4 will change what it takes to get a county attorney fired. Currently, the seven-member county commission is allowed to vote to fire the county attorney. Amendment 4 will make it so the seven commissions will have to join forces with the sheriff, clerk of court, property appraiser, tax collector and supervisor of elections and have a majority vote to fire the county attorney.
68.87% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 4.
Pinellas County Amendment 5- Charter amendment changes
Currently, Pinellas County charter amendments can be placed on the ballot during municipal and primary elections. Amendment 5 will ensure all of these charter amendment votes happen during the November general election cycle on even-numbered years.
69.87% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 5.
Pinellas County Amendment 6- Florida election code
Currently, proposed charter amendments must be advertised in a local newspaper once a week for four weeks. Amendment 6 would lessen these requirements to just two advertisements in a local newspaper, one 5 weeks before the election and one three weeks before the election.
68.45% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 6.
Pinellas County Amendment 7- Cleanup amendment
Amendment 7 will allow for charter rules to be cleaned up, removing outdated terms and updating language.
76.26% of Pinellas County residents voted "yes" on Amendment 7.
Pinellas County school referendum
This referendum will increase an existing school referendum from .5 mill to 1.0 mill.
Under the proposal, a homeowner with a property taxable value of $200,000 would pay $200 a year, up from the $100 they’ve paid since the referendum was first adopted in 2004 (and subsequently every four years since).
Proponents have said the increase is necessary to help attract and retain teachers, combat staff shortages and keep arts, music, STEM and reading programs afloat.
67.68% of Pinellas County residents voted to pass the Pinellas County school referendum.
