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Friend,
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely been paying attention to the debate surrounding Amendment 2: The Right to Hunt and Fish.
The constitutional amendment, on the ballot this election cycle, claims to preserve the right to fish and hunt in Florida. Sounds benign, right? Until you dig deeper into the unknown particulars, and start to follow the money.
Make no mistake — we will always support the right to hunt and fish in Florida. But as we’ve outlined in this No on 2 position statement, there are many reasons to question the necessity and integrity of this proposed amendment — not least of which is the troubling list of financial backers it’s amassed. Amendment 2 was placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, not by citizen petition, and the campaign has received financial support from polluting interests including U.S. Sugar, which donated $25,000 to support the amendment on October 2.
Since when do we trust the environmental policy advice of Big Sugar?
Legal scholars also have flagged concerns about Amendment 2 gutting the gill net ban that voters previously approved in Florida — because it calls for preserving “traditional methods” of fishing and hunting, without defining what those methods include.
One of the legal minds we respect most, Royal Gardner at Stetson College of Law, put it this way: "If Amendment 2 passes, expect the pro-netters to say that gill net fishing was a traditional means of fishing, since time immemorial.” Passage of Amendment 2 would call into question the underpinnings of the state statute banning gill nets, Gardner explained.
We know that many of you have already cast your votes on this amendment during early voting. But for those who have yet to weigh in, we urge you to vote NO.
Don’t just take our word for it. There are plenty of sound voices standing with us in opposition to Amendment 2. They raise questions about the overly vague language, the potential for unintended consequences and the list of sketchy supporters that should give anyone pause. Take a look at a couple of them below and find the full roundup here.
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