TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Voters will get a chance in November to remove a provision in the state Constitution that was intended to prohibit illegal immigrants from owning land.
In a 36-1 vote on Monday, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission backed a proposal (Proposal 6006) that would eliminate a provision that became part of the Constitution in 1926 and was aimed at blocking Asian farmers from owning or leasing land in the state.
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The so-called “alien land” provision was never enforced, and critics have declared it a vestige of the state’s discriminatory past.
However, voters rejected a similar amendment seeking to remove the language in 2008.
The provision is part of a proposed constitutional amendment that contains two other measures, including eliminating obsolete language authorizing a high-speed rail system.
Another provision would clarify that if a criminal statute is repealed it would not impact the prosecution of a crime committed before the repeal.
The proposed constitutional amendment will appear as Amendment No. 11 on the Nov. 6 ballot and must win support from at least 60 percent of the voters to be enacted.