Legislators Having Second Thoughts About Attempting to Overturn Voter Approved Term Limits

In 1992, Florida voters approved a consitutional amendment limiting legislators and statewide elected officials to eight years in office. After passing a bill asking voters to extend that to twelve years, some legislators - perhaps worried about facing voters in November - want to take it off the ballot. Senator Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) is sponsoring a bill to take that proposal off the ballot. "The Legislature made a mistake," he said.

Many of his colleagues are also starting to get cold feet. Sen. Jim Sebesta (R-St. Petersburg) voted for the bill in 2005, but now supports the Posey legislation.

Bay area legislators Charlies Justice, Gus Bilirakis, Frank Farkas, and Victor Crist were among those to vote against it in 2005 - when it passed the Senate 35-4 and the House 92-24.