florida citizens in charge of growth

Development interests are gearing up for a fight, stocking their war chests with millions of dollars to do battle against the people they fear most in the world:

You.

That's right, you.

Sure, you might not feel so powerful right now. (Or look it, sitting there in that coffee-stained pajama top.) But you are the very thing that developers fear most.

Why? Because, unlike many of our campaign-cash-craving politicians, you aren't afraid to tell developers "no."

Not if a proposed development would overcrowd your child's school. Or further clog your road. Or increase your taxes to provide services to a big development in some far-flung locale.

You're capable of making that decision. And that is the philosophy at the root of Hometown Democracy -- that the people can be trusted.

Florida voters will get the chance to approve Hometown Democracy in the form of a constitutional amendment next year. But this bare-knuckles campaign has already begun.

So today we are going to look at who's funding the campaigns -- and one of the most bogus arguments you will hear against it.

We start with the players.

Developers and opponents of Hometown Democracy like to describe the amendment's backers as "special interests." And if they mean people who are especially interested in the environment and the land, I suppose they are right.

Hometown Democracy's political efforts have generated about $2 million, according to the most recent state records. Most of that has come from wealthy environmentalists who are pushing the effort -- people such as Lesley Blackner, a Palm Beach attorney who has championed this effort and has nothing to gain financially from doing so.

Blackner is a working mother who simply got fed up with local politicians doing the bidding of Florida's growth machine. (And with three Palm Beach County commissioners convicted of corruption in the last few years, who can blame her?)

Other donations come from residents tired of seeing developers get their way simply because local politicians were swayed by the sweet-talking, check-cutting developers and their consultants.

Hometown Democracy's goal: to give local voters a say on major developments that could impact their lives -- not every single house or store, but rather projects that could impact communities for many years to come.

Supporters say they know we need growth. They simply want it to be sensible.

On the other side of the debate, we have Floridians for Smarter Growth, which likes to portray itself as defender of common sense and the common man.

But it wasn't common men who cut all those six-figure checks.

Looking at state records, we find a $200,000 check came from the National Association of Home Builders.

And another from the home builders for $400,000.

And another one for $150,000 ... and another for $63,000 ... and for $100,000 ... and for $200,000 ... and ... well, you get the point.

And that's just the home builders. With the help of well-heeled friends, opponents have raised more than $3.7 million.

The message this deep-pocketed group is spreading is essentially that Hometown Democracy will ruin Florida.

Big Business has predicted nothing short of an economic Armageddon if it passed -- much like it did when the minimum-wage hike was proposed. (Note to the business lobby: If you keep predicting Armageddons that don't come, no one will believe you when you really do see the antichrist and a lake of fire.)

Another argument is that Hometown Democracy is too extreme; that there are better ways to achieve smart growth.

The next time you hear this talking point, feel free to respond: "Well, why haven't you achieved them?"

The answer: Because they don't want smart growth and never have. It's simply not as profitable.

Want proof? Look at Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham.

Pelham has never been a big fan of Hometown Democracy. In fact, in 2007, he wrote a piece for the Orlando Sentinel that called Hometown Democracy "extreme" and a "meat ax" solution.

As a compromise, Pelham suggested three smart-growth proposals that he viewed as sensible alternatives to Hometown Democracy. He was actually trying to serve as a mediator.

So I recently checked back with Pelham's office to see how many of those three smart-growth plans legislators had allowed him to put into place in the two years that have passed.

The answer: None.

The politicians in Tallahassee simply wouldn't let it happen. In fact, last session, they began dismantling the state's existing checks and balances. They are as addicted to growth as they are to the campaign donations from its creators.

So don't let opponents try to con you into believing there are better ways to achieve smart growth.

Because while they may be right, they will never let it happen.

Not unless voters provide a wake-up call.

Scott Maxwell can be reached at 407-420-6141 or smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com.