Posted on Tue, Oct. 13, 2009

Ballot issue on growth a hot topic

By GRACE GAGLIANO
gagostin@bradenton.com

BRADENTON - A November 2010 ballot issue is already stirring heated local discussions.

Florida Hometown Democracy, the state constitutional amendment that would let voters decide on growth in their communities, is drawing controversy over whether it will manage or deter growth.

If passed, Amendment 4 would require changes to local governments’ comprehensive plans to be approved by the voters in addition to approval currently required from elected leaders.

“Right now developers are in the driver’s seat, and we need to take the driver’s seat back,” said Dan Lobeck, a Sarasota attorney who specializes in land use law and is president of Control Growth Now. “This amendment is about putting moderated influence on development that has wrecked our economy.” He spoke Monday at a debate hosted by the Manatee County League of Women Voters.

Amendment 4 is opposed by several business organizations, including the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which say the amendment will further hinder economic recovery.

Mike Burton, chairman of Palmetto’s planning and zoning board, said putting complex land use issues on the ballot could stall growth and deter businesses from expanding or relocating to the state.

“Amendment 4 will be a disaster for the state of Florida,” Burton said. “Amendment 4 is going to turn planning into a political process. Advocates don’t want to empower voters, they want to stop growth at any cost.”

If the amendment gets 60 percent of the vote in November 2010, changes to city and county comprehensive plans, a local community’s blueprint for future growth, would require local referendums approved by voters. Voters would have a say on growth decisions such as density issues, commercial development, residential development and roads.

Nanette Eklund, a member of the League of Women Voters, asked how voters would have a say if the amendment were to not pass.

“Certainly there is an element in the population that thinks voters should have more of a say,” Eklund said.

Burton said public hearings on comprehensive plans, which are already required, give residents that voice.

“A comprehensive plan is a long complex process, and there are many opportunities for the public to be engaged,” Burton said. “They (the public) should go to neighborhood meetings when hosted, go to planning commission meetings, county commission hearings and, of course, again when it comes back for adoption.”

But Lobeck said despite the public hearings, politicians ultimately have the final say on growth.

“This is not about stopping growth,” Lobeck said. “This is about an involved sense of democracy. People should have a right to determine whether six-lane roads should go through their neighborhood.”