U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the nation’s oldest and largest pro-term limits group, presented the “Defender of Term Limits” award to State Rep. Frank Artiles (R-Miami Dade County) on Tuesday for his commitment to protecting the state’s citizen-initiated and voter-approved eight-year term limits law.
Artiles is a signer of the U.S. Term Limits pledge, which promises he will take no action that aids or abets the abolition or lengthening of Florida’s current term limits. He joins seven other legislators in receiving the honor.
“The people of Florida are glad to know Rep. Artiles is on our side of the term limits issue,” said USTL President Philip Blumel, whose Palm Beach-based group frequently fights term limits attacks out of the Legislature. “While most legislators are scheming to do away with term limits, he has shown great courage by standing up for the voters’ choice.”
Florida’s term limits were enacted with 77 percent of the vote in 1992 and support has only risen since. According to the most recent Quinnipiac poll on the subject, 79 percent of voters support retaining the current limits without any change.
U.S. Term Limits is the leader of the national movement to enact limitations on terms that elective officials can serve. Founded in 1992, it played a key role in campaigns to limit the terms of 15 state legislatures and 23 congressional delegations. The latter limits were struck down in a landmark 1995 Supreme Court decision, U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton.
