St. Petersburg's decoy land use plan shows need for Amendment 4.
Decoy "plan" is an insult to voters
The city of St. Petersburg's efforts to subvert the rights of voters by creating a "decoy" land use plan makes the case for why Floridians need to pass Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 on the statewide ballot Nov. 2.
Our homes and our communities are too important to leave in the hands of politicians and lobbyists — that much is clear. As your editorial noted, "The public's deep distrust of government helped fuel Amendment 4, the so-called 'Hometown Democracy' initiative on the November ballot. St. Petersburg is only feeding that distrust with a deceitful maneuver designed to circumvent residents' voting rights if Amendment 4 becomes part of the Florida Constitution."
We watch these political shenanigans over and over! The solution is Amendment 4 because it will give citizens new power to veto or approve politicians' votes on land use. We are the ones who pay for the police, fire, roads, schools, sewer and water services for new development. If we have to pay, we should get a vote.
As you said in your editorial, the city's attempt to "subvert the voters' wishes only further convinces the public that they were right to distrust government in the first place."
If you agree, join us in Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 — a nonpartisan citizen's reform movement. Learn more at www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.
