OPEN LETTER FROM TEA PARTY PATRIOTS FOR 4

OPEN LETTER FROM TEA PARTY PATRIOTS FOR 4
IN ANSWER TO “COALITION FOR PROPERTY RIGHTS”

Recently a letter was sent to various Florida tea party leaders from “Coalition For Property Rights”(CPR) attempting to discredit supporters of Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4. Some of the tea party leaders embraced CPR’s message, sending it out to everyone on their email lists. The CPR letter used emotionally charged buzz-words, such as “communal and collective consent”, designed to inflame the minds of tea partiers and convince them Amendment 4 will “strip away the rights and freedoms of individual Florida citizens.” In the interest of full disclosure, and in fairness to the rank and file members who would appreciate a fair and balanced description of Amendment 4, Tea Party Patriots For 4 would like to answer some of the charges promulgated by CPR.
By the way, the terms “collective permission” and “communal consent” were used by CPR to describe the simple act of voting, specifically your right to vote on issues of great impact to you and your children. The claim of CPR is that Amendment 4 will deny you the freedom to self-determine how your private land should be used. In truth, government already makes these decisions. You do not now have exclusive rights over decisions about your property. Do you belong to a homeowners’ association? If so, you must get “collective permission” to paint your front door, add a fence, or put a sign in your yard. Even if you do not live in an HOA, you must seek “communal consent” from government to replace a roof, add a room , or build a swimming pool. Amendment 4 will give you an extra layer of protection over some of these rapidly eroding property rights.
Supporters of Amendment 4 understand that the right to own property is the cornerstone of all American freedoms. This basic right is being threatened everyday by the cabal of developers, land speculators, financiers, and government officials who, for decades, have honed a system of “build and tax” at the expense of citizens. Tax-supported bail-outs to developers, such as tax waivers, fair share plans, incessant comp plan amendments, and the abolishing of impact fees, add burdens to citizens in the form of higher costs and lower quality of life. This hinders the ability of many citizens to acquire, maintain, or keep property. It is the absence, rather than the presence, of Amendment 4 that threatens this most basic right of Florida citizens.
It’s no surprise that CPR’s governing board, composed almost exclusively of developers, land speculators, and eminent domain attorneys, seeks to convince voters that Amendment 4 will destroy property rights. With a board like that, we must ask the question, “Whose property rights is the CPR really protecting?”

Amendment 4 respects the comprehensive planning process. All steps now required for the comprehensive plan or plan changes will continue under Amendment 4. Only one additional step, a final vote by citizens, will be added. Amendment 4 will not stop growth, as CPR claims. Growth is built into all comp plans, so there is plenty of existing practical opportunities for “schools, churches, hospitals, and gas stations” to be built. Only changes outside the comp plan will be on the ballot, so citizens can control undesirable elements such as empty strip malls. We encourage you to check your county’s comp plan to see how much growth is already allowed.

AMENDMENT 4 WILL PROTECT PROPERTY RIGHTS BY:

• Protecting property values. In reality, overdevelopment threatens property rights by threatening property values. We have a glut of houses all over Florida, which causes home values to go down and taxes to go up. Yet, what is the answer proposed by developers and politicians? More of the same. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

• Giving citizens veto power over bad development decisions.

• Protecting property ownership. A citizen requesting a comp plan change will not lose his current vested property rights if a land use change is voted down. Land use changes are entitlements, not rights.

• Providing controls over an increasingly powerful local government that is too entrenched with land speculators.

• Protecting the rights of individuals and businesses who own property within the comprehensive plan. Building outside the comprehensive plan, often on cheap land, encourages sprawl and increases the cost of owning homes for the rest of us, threatening the ability of many folks to achieve that American dream of owning a home or business.

• Utilizing the right to vote, an integral part of the U. S. Constitution and citizens’ individual rights, as a powerful tool to ensure that citizens have control over the government they must pay for.

• Adding a check and balance over our elected officials, who so often ignore the welfare of citizens in favor of special interests. To those who like to use the “republic” argument against Amendment 4, we would ask, “How did that national healthcare plan work out for you? Or illegal immigration? Are your elected representatives really looking out for you?”

Please access http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/ for more information.

Vote YES! Amendment 4 on November’s ballot.