Amendment 4 and why I am voting NO on it.

http://www.collinscenter.org/page/FL_Amend_Home

Amendment 4 would require voter approval to growth-plan changes.

Oh my goodness. I know we have development problems. As a native, I hate it. Peanut butter development is what I call it. And with the passage of SB 360 the problems will only get worse.
Here’s the rub, in very short form:
Any of us or all of us has had to deal with amendments and referendums. They are a pain in the butt. They are hard to understand, confusing and no one takes the time to do their homework before they vote. Now, if amendment 4 passes, not only will we not have any changes out west (where I would argue we don’t need any additional density OR growth) but we will have no changes to the east, where I would argue we DO need changes. If we are to grow responsibly, we need to change some densities in the eastern side of the tri county area. Developers go west because it’s cheaper. To attract them to redevelop the east side, in areas that could sorely use improvement, we need to use the old carrot and stick. If amendment 4 passes, there will be no stick and no carrot to use. Do not kid yourself into thinking the citizens will approve any changes in the east. It won’t happen. NIMBY (Not in my back yard.). There is a solution out there, but this is not it.

I shudder to think of the consequences that will be forth coming if this passes. You think things are tough now? Development and all of the allied trades will shut their doors. And I am not being dramatic here. It will sink the Florida economy. Can’t they get retrained? Sure in how many years? We ain’t got that kind of time. The ripple effect of loosing all of those jobs will be something I do not wish for my state. We’ve been suffering through a stopped construction industry for the last few years; this will be worse, by far.

What to do to stop the raping of our environmental culture? Well, that is a good damn question. We have mechanisms in place to control growth. What is the problem? They need to be stronger AND citizens need to actively participate in the process. Will this happen? Doubtful. If you are not in the business of growth planning, it’s probably way over your head. You can learn it, but it is complicated and takes years and is constantly changing. Hell, most land planners are lacking in vision in my opinion AND the politics of the process typically gets in the way as well. In theory, we vote in government and expect them to do their job. If they don’t it is our responsibility to get rid of them. I’m slightly encouraged by the movement in local governments to issue and adhere to stricter ethics standards. We’ll see how that goes.

I want a solution, trust me I do. Even if we stop growth dead in its tracts, we need to be able to redevelop to make our existing built environment safe and affordable. There will be no mass transit if critical mass does not happen in the eastern (or coastal) side of our counties. Hard decisions are going to have to be made by educated planners from the locals to the state government. And when I say educated, I mean the planners. We can develop responsibly. Now how that happens, I don’t know. Actually, I do know. And the planners know (the sharp ones anyway). How do we get what we want? Well, amendment 4 is not the way.

“The plans outline specifics for future development: where, what kind and how dense.”

“The debate can also be framed as a challenge to the republic form of government, which is based on the premise that voters select representatives to make decisions for the good of the entire community after hearing from their electorate.”