TALLAHASSEE -- Florida voters look close to passing a gay-marriage ban and rejecting a community college tax, and are largely undecided about a handful of property-tax issues, according to a new statewide poll on the state's proposed constitutional amendments.

Regardless of the topic, there's a common theme in voters' preferences: Simplicity, said Brad Coker, pollster for Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. Voters have clear opinions about those amendments that are relatively easy to understand or that have simple titles or buzzwords.

So the ''Florida Marriage Protection Amendment'' garners wide support -- 55 percent for it; 34 percent opposed. And the amendment that would allow local communities to raise the sales tax to help pay for community college is losing by a 37 to 40 percent margin.

'In Florida, `tax' is no longer a three-letter word,'' said Coker. ``It's a four-letter word.''

Yet the poll shows that the electorate doesn't seem to have a strong preference for the amendments that would actually give homeowners or businesses a potential property-tax cut. And that's because of the complexity of the amendments, Coker said.

Consider:

• The amendment to prohibit tax assessment increases for someone who adds hurricane shutters or solar panels is leading by a 29-to-26 percent margin. Undecided: 45 percent.

• The amendment to give a tax break to those who agree to set aside conservation lands is leading 37 to 19 percent. Undecided: 44 percent.

• The amendment to help shield marina owners from big tax-assessment increases leads 33 to 20 percent. Undecided: 47 percent.

However, because it takes a 60 percent vote to approve a constitutional amendment, the property-tax plans could pass if the undecided voters don't cast a ballot on those issues and if support continues to grow and outpaces opposition by a ratio of 3 to 2.

Coker, though, said he expected undecided voters will likely cast a ballot in favor of the gay-marriage amendment, thereby supplying it with the additional 5 percentage points it needs to pass.

''The undecideds always seem to break more strongly toward sort of the more anti-gay side of the issue,'' Coker said.

But not if Florida Red & Blue can help it. The bipartisan group plans to run an ad painting the amendment as ''vague'' and a threat to domestic-partner benefits, even for heterosexual seniors. Supporters of Amendment 2 say that's a scare tactic.

Some members of the legal community also are joining forces against Amendment 2. More than 150 lawyers from across the state signed a letter against the statewide ballot measure that would ban gay marriage by specifying that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. The letter was released Wednesday by Florida Red & Blue.

The attorneys are encouraging voters on Nov. 4 to say ''no'' to the proposal, which opponents say will have consequences for all unmarried couples in Florida, gay and straight.

The critics say say the measure could lead to the potential loss of existing legal protection and benefits, including alimony, estate planning and domestic partnership registries.

Among the lawyers who signed the letter: former Florida House speakers Peter Wallace and Richard Pettigrew, and Talbot ''Sandy'' D'Alemberte, former president of the American Bar Association and former president of Florida State University.

Supporters of Amendment 2 say the opposition is running a campaign based on ''deception,'' trying to convince people that domestic partnerships will be invalidated if the measure passes.

''If they tried to discuss the merits of whether gay marriage is in the best interest of children and family and the common good, they'll lose. And they know that,'' said John Stemberger, president and general counsel of the Florida Family Policy Council, which is promoting the Yes On 2 campaign. ``They're having to refocus the debate on some other scare tactic, like telling people they are going to lose their benefits.''

Stemberger said he is encouraged by the recent poll, but that his group must continue to campaign against well-funded opponents.

Gov. Charlie Crist said he supports defining marriage ``between one man and one woman.''

Yet Crist said he's staying out of all the amendment fights because ``I've got my hands pretty full as it is.''

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