PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
STOP FLORIDA'S REIGN OF "CONSTITUTIONAL TERRORISM"
  1. Signatures
    166 out of 200
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 5 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The President of the United States
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
      • Your Governor
      • Your State Senate
      • Your State House
  2. Created By
    Carol Tucker
    Seattle, WA
About this Petition Petition Letter

Below is what Florida's greedy politicians have in mind. This is UNCONSTITUTIONAL, and President Obama, well-versed in Constitutional Law, is well aware of this fact.

THIS MUST STOP--NOW!

If President Obama fails to take action to stop Florida's reign of "Constitutional Terrorism," then he is complicit, deliberately choosing to ignore this injustice.  

Carol Tucker, MA
Court Reform-NOW
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/equaljusticeforall

Court fees

More than $300 million could be raised through a new "graduated" court-fee system, which would charge wealthier residents more.

Foreclosure filings: The fee for filing a foreclosure for a property valued between $50,000 and $250,000 would increase from $295 to $1,000. Foreclosure filings for properties over $250,000 would increase from $295 to $2,000. The foreclosure fee is in the Senate budget and is being added via an amendment to the House plan today. (Revenue: $198.5 million)

Divorce: Florida's $295 filing fee for divorces is about to get a lot pricier. For couples with assets valued at $50,000 to $250,000, the filing fee would increase to $1,000. Couples with assets of more than $250,000 would pay $2,000. The divorce tax is in the Senate budget but not the House plan. The state is expecting 72,000 divorces next year. (Revenue: $72.6million)

Death tax: Both chambers propose a new $20 fee for recording burial rights. People reserving a grace space, underground crypt, mausoleum and the like would be required to register the purchase with the county clerk and submit a $20 payment. (Revenue: indeterminate)

Probate cases: Filing fees would rise for probate cases, which involve taking guardianship of someone who is elderly or disabled or settling the estate of a deceased person. The current $280 charge would rise on a sliding scale. For cases involving estates valued at $50,000 to $250,000, the filing fee would increase to $1,000; for estates of $250,000 to $1million, the fee would increase to $2,000; for estates of $1million or more, the fee would increase to $5,000. (Revenue: $63.5 million)

PLEASE SEND E-MAILS OF PROTEST BY THE THOUSANDS TO:

scheduling@who.eop.gov
president@whitehouse.gov
comments@whitehouse.gov
charlie.crist@myflorida.com
atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov

Recent Signatures

STOP FLORIDA'S REIGN OF "CONSTITUTIONAL TERRORISM"

Dear Representative

I honor the spirit of the founding fathers and the creation of the US Constitution, and hereby urge the introduction of a Constitutional Amendment specifically stating that ALL Americans, regardless of the state in which they reside, are guaranteed "access to the courts without sale, denial, or delay," expressly rendering unconstitutional legislation such as that passed by Florida in 2004, requiring the indigent to pay court fees.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits limitations to the right to petition the government for redress of grievances, and the Florida Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to access the courts without SALE, DENIAL, or DELAY.

As state and local budgets feel the pinch of the economic crisis, public services suffer everywhere, perhaps nowhere more than in our courts. The perfect storm of foreclosures has resulted in an exponential increase in the already crushing burden of civil and criminal matters, while the supply of public defenders and legal aid services shrinks. As citizens face decreased incomes, job losses, staggering medical expenses, and potential homelessness, they find that they are required to pay increased filing fees when they seek justice through the courts. The poorest and most vulnerable among us are inevitably the most cruelly affected. Meanwhile, the overloaded legal system becomes slower and more cumbersome than ever before, with the passage of time as always on the side of the wealthy and powerful.

Add to this nationwide scenario the scandalous fact that Florida remains the only state in the union that does not waive court fees for indigent citizens. For the individual seeking an insurance payment from a powerful for-profit corporation, for the parent seeking a court-appointed attorney, for the battered woman seeking to free herself and her children from domestic violence, the paths to recovery are being systematically choked off by a system that does not care to serve its neediest clients.

It is crucial for Florida's 2004 unconstitutional legislation to be repealed (but Florida "slawmakers" are too spineless to do so). The government protects profit-driven corporations, steals from the poor, then keeps us from pursuing justice through the courts, a basic Constitutional right. Since Florida "slawmakers" will not repeal the legislation, as many of them stand to profit by it, America needs a Constitutional Amendment to prevent any state from ever again passing unconstitutional legislation. The Federal government has become lackadaisical, turning a blind eye to states' injustices, and THIS one is an embarrassment to the United States of America in the eyes of the rest of the world and exposes Florida for the corrupt state that it has sadly become.

The State of Florida must be required to extend services to the indigent in a manner that is free of fees, daunting bureaucratic red tape, and the arbitrary discretion of court clerks. Such a system of justice for sale to the highest bidder is unconscionable anywhere in a civilized country.

[Your name]

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