Originally Published: 22 November 2007
The Pelican Press
There's more to come
If you were bombarded by telephone robo-calls, a half-dozen mailers and a crop of yard signs sprouting like mushrooms after a summer rain warning of doom from the "Super Majority Power Grab," hold onto your sombreros.
The development communities' unsuccessful attacks on that effort - the super majority proposals passed overwhelmingly in both the city and county of Sarasota - may have seemed like a boom-box car rolling annoyingly through town.
Next up: A proposal whereby every time a city or county commission votes to change our long-range growth plans, by the now-required 4-1 or 5-0 vote, that approval would still be subject to a veto:
By us, the voters. It's called Hometown Democracy, and it's likely coming to our ballots next fall.
Under its requirements, at the next general election, every commission-approved development outside comprehensive plan restrictions would be subject to voter approval - or disapproval - under the terms of the statewide constitutional amendment proposal now gathering signatures and steam.
The proposal, the brainchild of two environmental and land-use lawyers in Tallahassee and Palm Beach County, has already gathered signatures in excess of 500,000, with some 611,000 needed to make it onto the ballot next November, supporters said.
This struggle will be really ugly. Think runaway train.
The developers are lining up even bigger guns for this one, which may have given our little super majority campaigns something of a break. One group has pledged to raise more than $50 million, if necessary, to defeat Hometown Democracy. (See: www.floridahometowndemocracy.com).
Our elected representatives in Tallahassee have already passed a law allowing referendum opponents to solicit signers of petitions directly to take back their signatures - aimed directly at this movement - to keep measures from ever reaching the ballot box.
The first salvo was fired with a letter to signers from former House Speaker John Thrasher, now a high-profile business lawyer-lobbyist.
His revocation campaign is reminiscent of some of the more condescending Southern strategies of yesteryear.
Thrasher's letter on behalf of Save Our Constitution turns the proposal on its head, claming: "If you read their proposed Constitutional Amendment (it's reprinted on your PETITION REVOCATION FORM), you will also notice it turns all power over use of Florida's lands to certain 'electors.'
"Guess who the 'electors' will be. The 'special interests' and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies. Their 'electors' will decide our fate and the fate of Florida.
"Unless you want higher property taxes, higher utility bills and Florida's scenic beauty destroyed by Big Developers, you will certainly want to revoke your signature from their petition."
Electors, of course, means registered voters. Big developers and landowners are, needless-to-say, not behind Hometown Democracy, but they do pay Thrasher's fees, including among other clients the St. Joe Co., which is developing Florida's Panhandle, and Walt Disney World.
Hometown Democracy Co-founder and President Lesley Blackner said we could expect more of the same and worse - a lot worse.
"They're calling it the 'Vote on Everything Amendment,'" she said, "and they'll try to convince voters we'll have to vote on every rezoning, every land use change, and a lot more. But of course, that's not true - just changes to city and county comprehensive land use plans," which are supposed to spell out what restrictions developers in various sectors of a community must live by for the next 10 years or more.
The proposal would strain the economy and cost local government millions, according to opponents.
Developer and past Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Chairman Tom Dabney said the education costs alone would be extraordinary. "Imagine the $2 million, $3 million it'll cost to educate voters in the complex areas of growth management, transportation, the environment...
"It takes years for a planning commissioner or a county commissioner to learn all these things...imagine Joe Sixpack going to the polls [to make these decisions]?"
He fears too many voters, especially retirees, will view all development proposals with a knee-jerk negative reaction to everything -- the "I've got mine and I don't want it getting any more crowded here, so I'll vote no" response - if Hometown Democracy passes.
But it's not the housing for wealthy professionals or retirees that'll suffer, he said: "One of our biggest goals at the Chamber is a diverse and abundant housing market... If we can't, we'll see the Aspenization of Sarasota; we'll have to bring in all our [workers] in the morning and send them home at night. It's affordable housing that will suffer most."
Blackner and other defenders of Hometown Democracy ask how much affordable housing was built during the last four-year boom. Sarasota City Commissioner and former Mayor Fredd Atkins has said not one affordable housing project was proposed the whole time.
High-profit luxury condos for the wealthy were the norm, he said, especially downtown.
Local super majority champion Bill Earl, chairman of Citizens for Sensible Growth, doesn't support Hometown Democracy, saying his personal view is that "it goes too far. It requires even minimal comp plan changes to go to a referendum, not just changes in density and intensity,"
But Earl's friend and fellow citizen activist Bill Zoller, says that contrary to the economic doom forecast by developers and their representatives, he's confident Hometown Democracy will not end growth, or even exceptions to comprehensive plans, if developers come up with good projects that merit plan changes.
In 2005, local changes to comprehensive plans - which are supposed to spell out where and how intense growth should be throughout a city or county - were altered more than 8,000 times statewide, mostly for developers.
Tom Pelham, the secretary of the state's Department of Community Affairs, which must approve many major local comp plan changes, supported the super majority efforts and criticizes local governments' eagerness to accede to developers' requests.
"So it is not surprising that many citizens have lost faith in the ability of local comprehensive plans to control growth and development," he said, while calling Hometown Democracy a "draconian" response.
Well, "draconian" may be just what's needed today, Blackner says. According to a 1999 study, existing comprehensive plans will allow Florida's population, now at about 20 million, to grow to more than 100 million - without any changes, she said.
"And imagine how many more amendments have been granted in the last eight years." [When HD passes], she said, "maybe developers will learn to live within the parameters of the plans."
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