Blaise Ingoglia wants constitutional amendment clarifying term limits for House, Senate

A Spring Hill Republican thinks 16 years is enough time in the state Legislature, and he hopes voters agree.

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s SJR 536 would give voters the chance to limit lawmakers to eight years each in the Senate and the House, and foreclosing their path to return to a seat they previously held after being out of it for a period of time.

“Let’s stop the practice of people continually running for the same office and bouncing back and forth between chambers. Serving the people of Florida should be a privilege, and an honor, not a career,” Ingoglia, a former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, said Thursday.

The bill would take effect in November.

The matter is relevant given state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, elected again to the House after eight years in the Senate in November, wants to replace Sen. Randy Fine as he pursues a seat in Congress.

The Secretary of State ruled her ineligible to run citing term limits, saying her candidacy would violate the Constitution because a person cannot run for Florida Senator “if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will have served (or but for resignation, would have served) in that office for eight consecutive years.”

Mayfield claims Gov. Ron DeSantis used “the executive branch to punish me for endorsing Donald J. Trump for President (and) weaponized the Department of State just like Joe Biden weaponized the Department of Justice against Donald Trump.”

She has appealed to the Florida Supreme Court for redress. The state of Florida is compelled to respond to her pleading by end of business Monday.

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Jacob Ogles contributed reporting.

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