Ashley Lopez

For those of you currently mulling over your absentee ballot or preparing to head over to the polls this coming week, don't be alarmed when you get to the Constitutional amendments on your ballot.

You will notice that there are amendments listed one through twelve-- but there's no Amendment 7.

 No worries, though. Your ballot isn't defective, there just is no Amendment 7 this year.

 This is why:

Reports surfaced this week that fraudulent voter intimidation letters have been circulating the state. The letters warn voters that they have 15 days to prove they are  citizens or they will be removed from the state's voter rolls.

This incident has prompted investigations from both state officials and federal officials.

While these sorts of  shenanigans are not uncommon during big elections, groups are already anticipating more of this when Floridians start voting at the polls tomorrow.

Here at WLRN-Miami Herald News we put together a guide to explain Florida's lengthy and somewhat confusing ballot measures for you. We've focused on what, exactly, the measures mean and what the policy implications are.

Advocacy groups across the state have taken it a step further. A number of organizations have developed ballot voting guides with suggestions on how to vote.  

State Sen. Nan Rich, D-Sunrise, says she hopes her colleagues in the Legislature will resolve an issue with State Attorney General Pam Bondi that is currently tying up $300 million dollars meant to help Florida homeowners hurt by the state's foreclosure crisis.

This month, WLRN, along with the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and other NPR affiliates all over the state, gave you close look at four proposed changes to the state Constitution that Floridians will vote on in November. You can listen to and read those stories here. However, there are another 7 ballot measures that voters will get a say on here in Florida.

So, here is a breakdown of what ALL the ballot measures mean:

Amendment 1

TOPIC: Health Care

Salon profiled Florida's Amendment 6,  one of the most controversial ballot measures facing approval from Florida voters  Nov. 6.

The ballot item is aimed at removing a constitutional right to privacy currently in Florida's Constitution, but it also might cut abortion coverage in some cases for the state's public employees, Salon reports.

The amendment also has language that would prohibit the use of taxpayer money for abortions in the state.

ProPublica reports that $300 million awarded to Florida through a settlement over bad mortgages and foreclosures remains untouched. 

That money is meant to help homeowners in Florida that were hurt by the state's housing crisis.

Millions of dollars were given to individuals and state governments by big banks accused of wrongful foreclosures and other mortgage servicing abuses.

Florida got the biggest sum of money-- besides California-- because the state was wracked by the housing crisis.

Democrats are celebrating an interesting milestone this week: the one millionth request for an absentee ballot by a registered Democrat.

Since absentee ballots became available to anyone in Florida several years ago, the use of voting by mail has been dominated by Republicans.

While the GOP is still doing better than Democrats with absentee ballots, Democrats are giving them a run for their money.

According to Bloomberg,

Ozzie Guillen, the embattled Miami Marlins manager, has been fired.

According to The Miami Herald, the Marlins released this statement:

“After careful consideration following the disappointment of the 2012 season, we decided to dismiss Ozzie,” said Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest in a prepared statement. “Our managerial search begins immediately and our hope is that a new manager, along with roster improvements, will restore a winning culture.”

WLRN-Miami Herald News is live-blogging from Lynn University, the site of the last presidential debate here in Boca Raton. You can check back here at WLRN.org for highlights and updates.

10:31 p.m.

According to a report released this week from the Center for Housing Policy and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Miami is the least affordable metropolitan area for middle class Americans.

And it's not because Miami is more expensive-- it's because the middle class here isn't making enough money compared to other big cities.

This week's study highlighted the cost of housing and transportation in major metropolitan areas-- but in relation to household incomes.

ABC's Nightline profiled Miami International Airport's security this week. 

The news show talked to security personnel at MIA about what they see in the airport day to day and the extensive amount of people, dogs and machinery used to keep the airport safe.

In true Miami fashion, security personnel mentioned that in their time working at MIA they have witnessed people smuggling birds, body parts and even human fetuses (which are used as part of a Haitian ritual) in their luggage.

Amendment 3 on Florida’s ballot this year, if passed, will change how the state figures out how much money it can collect in taxes.

Opponents all over the state, however, say this one change could lead to massive cuts in state services such as health care and education.

How Amendment Three Works

In 2011, the Florida Legislature set out to restructure the Florida Supreme Court.

Even though that effort failed, Republican Lawmakers did get a proposal for big changes onto this year’s ballot.

However, some say this effort could politicize and change the face of Florida’s highest court.

Will New Rules Make Florida's Highest Court Less Impartial?

U.S. Rep. Allen West, who is famous for his confrontational Tea Party politics, has been dominating this year in terms of fundraising.

He is not only out raising his opponent, Patrick Murphy, by leaps and bounds-- but he is raising more money than anyone else running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Washington Post recently profiled Romney's biggest company donor, which is a Philadelphia-based orthopedic clinic. They also included some of the big money raisers in the country right now. At the top of that list happens to West.

This year's presidential election is getting closer and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., still doesn't feel too good about the state's new voting law.

He stopped by the Miami Herald today to talk about his debate against his opponent, Connie Mack, last night. He talked about immigration and the Space Coast, among other things, but he also voiced how he feels about Florida's new voting law.

Boca Raton's Marc Leder, who is best known for hosting a dinner earlier this year in which presidential candidate Mitt Romney said 47 percent of people will vote for Obama because they are "dependent upon government," is going to hold yet another event this Friday at a country club in Boca Raton.

This fundraiser, however, will feature Romney's Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan.

One of the constitutional amendments on the ballot this November takes on the controversial and politically charged issue of abortion.

Amendment 6, if passed, would prohibit public funding for abortions in the state, but it would also take away a right to privacy explicitly contained in Florida’s Constitution.

This has women’s rights activists in the state up in arms over concerns that this could be the beginning of greater abortion restrictions.

A Right To Privacy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed to work with a British company looking to test out genetically-modified mosquitoes in the U.S.

British biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd has been waiting for a U.S. federal agency to sign on as a partner so they could test out these altered mosquitoes in Key West.

In the past few years, Key West has had a problem with mosquitoes in the area spreading Dengue-- but Oxitec thinks they can kill off a large part of this mosquito population with their altered mosquitoes.

Sabado Gigante, one of the most famous TV shows among the Hispanic community here in Miami, is also the longest running variety show in television history. It turns 50 this month.

Gigante has been recorded here in Miami at Univision since 1986.

The show has been hosted by Don Francisco, whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger, since it got its start on Chile television. 

According to Media Moves:

In November, Floridians will decide whether or not to remove a state ban that prohibits the use of tax money for the funding of religious groups.

While the Catholic Church in the state remains one of the biggest proponents of this so-called “Religious Freedom” amendment, some religious leaders are weary of the measure.

Guillermo Marquez-Sterling, a pastor at the United Church of Christ in Coral Gables, says he’s concerned that, if Amendment 8 passes, if tax money could fund religious organizations, religious institutions like his will actually lose some of their freedom.

Today the Cuban government announced that Cubans will no longer need an exit visa from the state in order to leave the country for travel, etc. However, the government simultaneously cracked down on travel for high skilled workers.

As of January 14, 2012, Cubans will only need a visa from the country they are traveling to in order to leave the country. 

This year, every proposed change to our state's Constitution placed on the ballot came from the state Legislature.

Experts and activists say that this is because getting an amendment on the ballot in Florida is harder than ever before for citizens, yet significantly easier for state lawmakers.

What Happened to Citizen-led Petitions?

Robin Rorapaugh of Hollywood is the president of a political consulting company that helps groups who want to get an issue on a ballot.

New York Magazine published a great profile of Florida's former governor and current Miamian Jeb Bush this week.

The profile tackled some pretty big topics about Bush, who has stayed mostly out of the limelight since he finished his term as Florida's governor in 2007. The article mentioned how Jeb's connections to the Hispanic community might make him the greatest hope for the future of the GOP and why he didn't run in 2012.

Social media has been abuzz today with rumors that Fidel Castro might be dead. As The Miami Herald reports:

Rumors of the retired leader’s alleged passing had been circulating online since Sunday, when Castro did not congratulate Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez on winning reelection.

Not only are South Florida's votes key to the upcoming presidential election, but its residents are some big donors to the presidential campaigns, as well.

South Florida Business Journal rounded up some of the biggest donors in the region to both President Obama and Mitt Romney's campaigns. 

A U.S. Secret Service agent enjoyed Miami a little too much last night.

Aaron Francis Engler, a Secret Service agent, was found passed out drunk on a sidewalk near Brickell Avenue and 7th in Miami today.

Engler was in Miami because President Obama was in town for the campaign. He gave a big speech at the University of Miami and help a fundraiser at the J.W. Marriott.

CBS 4 reports,

Leading up to this week's fatal parking garage collapse, the Miami Dade College Doral campus was experiencing a massive enrollment boom, which is why the school was spending more than $22 million dollars on a parking garage in the first place.

According to The Miami Herald,

Jeb Bush, our former governor who only occasionally steps into the political fray, has publicly endorsed a controversial proposed constitutional amendment on Florida's ballot.

He announced his full-throated support for Amendment Six. If passed, the amendment would prohibit public funding of abortions and removes a current state constitutional right to privacy.

The Orlando Sentinel reports,