Amendment 6: Prohibition on Public Funding of Abortions; Construction of Abortion Rights

What it would do: This amendment would make the existing federal ban on public funding for most abortions part of the state constitution. It would narrow the scope of a state privacy law that is sometimes used in Florida to challenge abortion laws

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you support putting the existing federal ban on the use of public funds for abortions into the state constitution; and you support eliminating the state's privacy right with respect to a woman's right to choose.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you are against placing the existing federal ban on using public funds for abortions into the state constitution; and you are against eliminating the state's privacy right with respect to a woman's right to choose.

Amendment 7: Florida Religious Freedom, Amendment 7 (2012), which was scheduled to appear on the general ballot, was removed by court order on December 14. However, in light of a law approved in 2011, the Florida Attorney General had the authority to rewrite the proposal. This was done within the allotted 10 days to do so. On December 20, 2011, Attorney General Pam Bondi rewrote the proposal, and therefore the measure was placed on the ballot again as "Amendment 8."

Amendment 8: Religious Freedom Note: This proposal was known as Amendment 7 until a legal challenge by opponents led to the rewriting of some of the ballot language and its reinstatement on the ballot as Amendment 8. This is the reason there is no Amendment 7 on the 2012 ballot.

What it would do: This amendment would remove the prohibition in Florida's Constitution that prevents religious institutions from receiving taxpayer funding.

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you want to remove from the Florida Constitution a prohibition against the state funding religious institutions and replace it with a provision that prohibits the state from denying funding to institutions based on religious affiliations.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you want to retain the provision in the Florida Constitution that prohibits the state from funding religious institutions.

Amendment 9: Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouse of Military Veteran or First Responder.

What it would do: This would grant a full property tax exemption to the surviving spouses of military veterans who die while on active duty and to the surviving spouses of first responders who die in the line of duty.

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you want the state to grant the full homestead exemption to the surviving spouses.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you do not want the state to grant the full homestead exemption.

Amendment 10: Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption

What it would do: This amendment would double the tangible personal property tax exemption and allow local governments to increase the exemption.

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you want to double the tangible personal property tax exemption and allow cities and counties to expand the exemptions beyond that.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you do not want to double the tangible personal property tax exemption and you do not want to allow cities and counties to expand the exemptions.

Amendment 11: Additional Homestead Exemption; Low-Income Seniors Who Maintain Long-Term Residency on Property; Equal to Assessed Value

What it would do: This amendment would give an additional property tax exemption to low-income seniors who have lived in their home for more than 25 years.

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you think cities and counties should have the authority to grant a full property tax discount to eligible seniors.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you do not think that cities and counties should have the authority to grant a full property tax discount to eligible seniors.

Amendment 12: Appointment of Student Body President to Board of Governors of the State University System

What it would do: This amendment would change the way the state selects the student representative on the state university system's Board of Governors, which oversees the university system.

IF YOU VOTE YES: A "yes" vote means you want the state create a new council of university student presidents from which the student representative to the Board of Governors will be chosen.

IF YOU VOTE NO: A "no" vote means you want to keep the current system of selecting the student representative to the Board of Governors.

Even Hurricane Sandy can't dampen our spirits at Southside Business Men's Club! We are having a record year in Membership, and we have two months to reach our goal of 100 new members in 2012!  We have a lot of great activities coming up, as you can see as you scroll down this newsletter, and so it's a great time to invite your friends, neighbors, colleagues, even competitors to visit a meeting and see what we're all about.

When you invite a guest to lunch, you have an opportunity to stand up and be recognized at the meeting. Your guest has an opportunity to have a satisfying lunch in a beautiful Country Club, have a fun time meeting new contacts and enjoying the speakers and auction. And the club has an opportunity to grow so we ALL can network with new contacts. As if that weren't enough, we're running a Membership Contest to see who can bring in the most new members for the year--with a cash prize of $1,000 for the winner!  There's never been a better time to invite a friend to a meeting, encourage guests to join, and reach out to help new members feel welcome and get involved. 

Julie Wesling,

2012 Membership Co-Chair