TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Leon County voters will decide on five charter amendments and one straw poll in two weeks, with proposals addressing the balance of power between city and county governments, changes to the county charter and disparities affecting historically underserved communities.
Lonna Atkeson, director of the Leroy Collins Institute at Florida State University explained what each measure would and would not do.
The first two charter amendments focus on the balance of power between Tallahassee’s city government and Leon County government.
The first question would allow new county ordinances adopted after Jan. 1, 2027, to override conflicting city ordinances.
“In this first one, they are saying that if there’s a conflict between the city ordinances and the county ordinances, then the county ordinances prevail,” Atkeson said.
The second question applies the same concept specifically to street names and addresses countywide.
Atkeson said differences in street names between the city and county have caused confusion for residents and visitors.
“The city has been, you know, making some renaming, and that has caused some streets to change their names between the city and the county. So that might be confusing for residents or visitors,” the director said.
Atekson said the two measures ultimately ask voters to consider whether the city or county should have more authority. “Do you want the city to have more power and in its home rule? Or do you want the county to have more power over home rule in the city?,” she said.
The third amendment would add language to the county charter’s preamble affirming the “shared dignity” of every resident.
Atkeson said the change would not significantly affect county operations or finances.
“It really has no significant change. It doesn’t affect any monetary outcomes or taxes or anything like that,” the director said.
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The fourth amendment would remove outdated legal references from the county charter and give the County Charter Review Committee more time to submit recommendations.
Under the proposal, the committee would have 150 days before the election to submit its recommendations.
“The county government thinks that we need more time and better alignment to pursue these ends,” Atkeson said.
The fifth amendment would require the county to regularly study and report on disparities affecting historically underserved communities.
Atkeson said the proposal was originally intended to take a different approach.
“It was originally proposed as a resolution apologizing for historical wrongs to people like slavery and racism within the county, but it thought that it would go against sort of DEI laws of the state,” she said.
Atkeson went on to say that the proposal would not create costs for taxpayers beyond data collection. It also would not require the county to act on the findings.
Lastly, the final ballot item is a straw poll asking whether Tallahassee and Leon County should merge into a single government.
Atkeson said the poll is advisory and intended to gauge residents’ reactions to the idea.
“Should Tallahassee and Leon County’s government merge, so we have one government instead of two? But this is just advisory. They’re trying to get information to understand people’s reaction to that,” she explained.
She also recommended reading the full ballot language before Election Day to better understand what each measure proposes.
To view sample ballots, click here.
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