VIEWPOINT: Trust the public on Amendment 4

03-09-2010

Amendment 4, aka Florida Hometown Democracy, will also take away elected officials’ ability to dole out favors to their friends and campaign contributors. Land use changes are not often in the best interest of the public; many are for the stated purpose of increasing the owner’s property value, which often comes at the expense of their neighbors. This practice will change when the voters become involved.

The commission’s recent resolution against Amendment 4 is just another example of how our elected officials cater to development interests over the needs and the quality of life of the rest of us. Look at the people who oppose Amendment 4: developers and their lawyers, real estate speculators, chambers of commerce, the St. Joe Co. and all the other development-related interests. These are the people who overdeveloped our beaches and created the real estate bubble that has led to the housing market glut, mortgage fraud, equity losses, foreclosures and bankruptcies. And all they want to do is just keep on speculating and building this way, since it is working so well.

The most infamous county land-use change that did not get voter approval, and would never have happened if Amendment 4 had been in effect, is the airport in the swamp. Nearly every surface of this $318 million fiasco is covered with huge ponds of standing muddy water.  Every time it rains, that witches’ brew of pollutants is washed down into the once-pristine waters of Crooked and Burnt Mill Creeks, and then out into West Bay. When this land-use change was approved by the commission the voters knew the result would be bad for the taxpaying public and the environment. Now we are all paying for a really huge mistake made by commissioners who now say they know better than us about growth decision-making.

Now it appears the commission is not content with destroying our waters used for recreation and fish habitat and are going after our drinking water. They are in favor of comprehensive plan amendments that will quadruple the number of houses and add large commercial facilities out in the countryside of the Sand Hill Lakes. This is the water “recharge” area for Deer Point Lake, Econfina Creek and the Floridan aquifer. Paving over the recharge area will destroy our drinking water supply. The public would know that digging more wells elsewhere is not the answer.

Commissioners are concerned voters are too dumb to know bad development when they see it, like a car-painting facility or fast-food joint adjacent to a neighborhood, or a barricade of high-rises on the beach. This is not brain surgery. A little common sense goes a long way in determining whether a project is good for the public. The commissioners should not judge the voters by their own low standards.  

To provide voters with the truth on Amendment 4, local advocates are hosting a workshop in the next few months on the planning process and governing laws. We will also be distributing Amendment 4 information at upcoming public events and will be available to speak at association meetings. We will continue public outreach after passage of Amendment 4, disseminating information on land-use changes on future ballots through public workshops, speaking engagements, and flyers.

Voters can learn more about Florida Hometown Democracy and Amendment 4 on the Web site  www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.