amendment 4 representative democracy

CALLAWAY

In response to Mr. Ray Bradick ("Good growth requires professional judgment," op-ed, July 12), he is only partially correct. As a 61-year-old, fifth-generation Floridian, I disagree.

Born in St. Petersburg, I grew up in Pinellas Park. The main thoroughfare through Pinellas Park was a two-lane road bordered by drainage ditches. Today that road is a six-lane highway. My siblings and I accompanied our mother to the small mom-and-pop grocery store, then helped pull the Red Flyer wagon with the groceries home. The store is gone now and walking in that town is only for exercise. Growth was planned by professionals, implemented by real estate agents and fueled by business men and women.

While enrolled at Stetson University in Deland, there were two traffic lights in the city proper. A motorcycle ride in the area was enjoyable for the many two-lane, tree-shaded country roads, encountering the occasional farm vehicle but very few automobiles or big trucks. Today, there is a bypass around the town to accommodate the traffic. Many of the former two-lane roads have become commuting passageways rather than enjoyable countryside sojourns. The area’s growth was planned by professionals in response to local community economic needs.

My first teaching job was in Okeechobee. A small town during the week, its population would almost double when fishermen descended on the Big "O" each weekend. U.S. 441, a two-lane road through the middle of town, had cattle ranches on both sides between Yeehaw Junction to the north and the town itself. When I left there in 1974, it was a pleasant place to live. Subsequent visits to the area were disappointing for the changes wrought by professionally designed planned growth to meet community economic needs. The allure of big bass cannot overcome the traffic aggravation or commercialization of what once was true small-town Florida.

Moving to Tallahassee from Okeechobee created genuine culture shock. The heating bill in Okeechobee was less than $50 a year: it was $50 a month in Tallahassee! A six-mile motorcycle commute with one traffic light became 17 miles and multiple intersections with traffic lights. While there, the city’s growth continued in response to the demands of the universities and state government operations. Planned by professionals, the areas surrounding the city became "bedroom communities," traffic into, out of and within the city was hazardous and frustrating. A research project conducted by FSU demonstrated that commuters were losing 30 minutes or more daily because the traffic light synchronization did not accommodate the traffic flow. We moved to Panama City before resolution of the situation became evident.

We bought a house in Callaway and enjoyed going to Panama City Beach to swim and visit Miracle Strip when our daughters were younger. I commuted daily from our home in Callaway to jobs in Marianna (five years), Bonifay (six years), Sneads (five years) and Wewahitchka (two years), primarily via motorcycle. I have since retired, but this is no longer the area it once was.

Hunting at Moore’s Pasture has been eliminated to accommodate construction of the new airport. Permit-authorized hunting on southwestern land (the old Gadsden Wildlife Management area) has been replaced by paid leases. Enjoying the "World’s Most Beautiful Beaches" has been adversely affected by the speculative condominium-building boom. The old DuPont Bridge, which had provided a safe, secure, location to teach youngsters how to fish, was torn down. While it was considered an "unsafe" structure costing too much to repair, its removal also eliminated an "eyesore" for the future residents of the planned condominiums on the northeast side of Tyndall Bridge. If our boat is operational, we now go to Shell Island; if not, we drive to Mexico Beach. Either setting allows us to enjoy the beach experience without commercialization or traffic congestion.

Reliance on "professionals" to promote tourism, to grow the real estate market, to guide the enhancement of local infrastructure and improve the local economy, may be well-intentioned by our elected representatives. However, although professionals may have the knowledge, skills, and training to design a city in its entirety, I suggest they lack understanding of what it takes to create and support a community of human beings.

Furthermore, I see no evidence that either the "professionals" or those who have been elected to represent us are capable of considering input from citizens (can anyone remember the "straw vote" regarding the airport?). It is no wonder that Mr. Bradick is opposed to the Florida’s Hometown Democracy initiative. Instead of relying solely on the professional objectivity, statistical constructs and the impersonal numerical data elements that are the hallmarks of "professional" growth planners, Florida’s Hometown Democracy initiative injects the "human element" into the thinking and decision-making process. The initiative requires that he and others of hi ilk listen to and incorporate the thinking of a bunch of "non-professionals" who live and will likely remain in the area after the "professionals" have moved on!

Perhaps passage of Amendment 4 will be the first step toward returning us to a "representative democracy."