Originally Published on Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Treasure Coast Palm
Florida Hometown Democracy's citizen initiative would amend Florida's Constitution to allow Floridians to give themselves a vote on growth plans. It is a simple change to an existing process, and would simply add a final step after planners and local politicians decide to change local comprehensive plans.
Since at least 1975, Florida law has required each county and city to adopt a long-range land-use plan. In contrast to these long-range plans, local governments also enact detailed zoning regulations. FHD's proposal calls only for local referenda on land-use plans; no vote is provided for zoning changes or building permits.
Florida law already allows limited local referenda on some land-use changes. When the Florida Supreme Court approved FHD's initiative, the court recognized that existing law allows local referenda on land-use plan amendments that affect five or fewer parcels of land, saying: "The initiative would mandate a process already approved by the Legislature in certain instances."
FHD would simply add an additional step -- voter approval -- to the existing process. Thus, FHD's initiative would not replace the role of planners and local elected officials. The U.S. Supreme Court views the referendum as a "basic instrument of democratic government."
Existing law recognizes the importance of citizen participation in planning, it is widely acknowledged that citizens do not have an effective means to guide the future growth of their communities.
Often, citizens must wait for hours to make a three-minute comment to local officials at a public hearing.
Often, citizen comments fall on deaf ears.
And legal challenges to plan amendments are expensive, time-consuming and rarely successful in overturning bad planning decisions.
Voting commissioners out of office does not undo bad planning decisions. Since city and county commissioners decide many local issues, land-use decisions are just part of the electoral mix. Why not force proponents of change to educate local voters and convince them that a change is good for the community?
In many communities land-use plans are not guiding future growth; growth is guiding the plans. As recognized by Florida's Supreme Court, one purpose of FHD is to limit the amount of comprehensive-plan revisions. FHD would promote a more rational, measured approach to long-range land-use planning for Florida's cities and counties.
For years, a small segment of society has reaped huge profits from getting land-use changes approved, but in most instances these changes have diminished the quality of life for Floridians. The result — overcrowded schools, gridlocked roads, shortages of drinking water, higher insurance premiums and property taxes for development of floodplains and coastal high hazard zones, loss of native plant and animal communities.
No big "special interest" group is behind FHD -- just a few Floridians who think that better decisions will result from having land-use changes approved by the citizens who live in each community. Two lawyers who grew up in Florida and have watched their beloved state suffer from bad planning decisions wrote the FHD initiative. It is not a silver bullet to solve Florida's growth pains, but a simple recognition that we can all do a better job with an effective voice on land-use plan decisions — at the ballot box.
You can read FHD's proposed amendment, and download it at Floridahometowndemocracy.com. Or you can call toll-free to 866-779-5513. Give yourself a vote on growth.
Burnaman, a Tallahassee lawyer who specializes in environmental and land-use cases, is an organizer of FHD, along with lawyer Lesley Blackner of Palm Beach. Online: Floridahometowndemocracy.com
Comments Posted by LDouglas on July 25, 2007 at 12:31 p.m.
After reading both the pro and con columns about the Florida Hometown Democracy, I'd have to say the con doesn't have a leg to stand on.
If you haven't signed the new petition yet, please do so soon.
After downloading it, why not print a few extra copies to pass out to whomever you think might like to sign it, but doesn't have time to log on or doesn't own a computer?
