In the June 13 story A different world for developer Terry Stiles, Stiles says ``it was easy'' to pave over Broward County. It was so easy that there isn't even a 250-acre parcel of land left to pave. Not content with having ruined Broward, Stiles is moving on -- to Miami-Dade.
Not surprisingly, Stiles opposes Hometown Democracy Amendment 4, the statewide ballot initiative this fall that will give voters more control over changes to their local master plans for growth. He was one of the sponsors of the big anti-Amendment 4 fundraiser last week that Fred Grimm discussed in his June 12 column, Fat cats hate slow-growth amendment.
Stiles and his ilk made their fortunes paving over paradise, and taxpayers got stuck with the bill. Taxpayers got the insane traffic, overbuilt sprawl, the housing meltdown, wrecked waterways and rising taxes.
Hopefully, taxpayers are connecting the dots that overdevelopment leads to higher taxes and lower quality of life. Amendment 4 will give voters the right to decide if a proposed change to the community plan is worthwhile for the community. Voters should get a seat at the table -- a chance to vote -- because we're the ones who pay the taxes and have to live with the mess. Local officials have proven incapable of protecting Florida from insane overdevelopment.
In November, Floridians have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for real change that can stop the Ponzi-scheme economy that the politicians and developers created. Vote Yes on Amendment 4 on Nov. 2. To learn more, visit www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.
