http://staugustine.com/print/17581
Guest column: Amendment 4 lets voter decide land changes
By St. Augustine Record
Created 09/05/2010 - 12:00am
LESLEY BLACKNER
Who's afraid of Amendment 4, the constitutional revision that will give voters more control over major projects and growth in their communities?
The opposition to Amendment 4 comes from politicians, real estate speculators and their lobbyists: the very folks who turned Florida into a real estate Ponzi scheme and crashed our economy for the past three years. The politicians want to keep their power, and the real estate speculators want to keep speculating.
Right now, politicians (influenced by campaign contributions and lobbyists who whisper in their ears) exclusively decide where development happens. Right now they have the exclusive power to allow change to your community's master plan, also called a comprehensive plan. Amendment 4 only adds one new step to this process: You, the voter.
Think of it this way: At a table where your community's future is decided, where major projects that could raise your taxes are discussed and approved, voters are not welcome. Voters do not have a seat at that table. It is marked with a "Reserved" sign for politicians, lobbyists and land speculators.
With Amendment 4, your city or county commission will study and vote as usual on changes to your local comprehensive plan. But, if a majority of the commissioners approve the requested change, the commission will have to submit that plan change to the voters in a referendum at the next regularly scheduled Election Day. You will either veto it or approve it. It's that simple. Amendment 4 doesn't require special elections. It would not clog the election system. It would not crash the economy. It is the overbuilders who have done that already and who now are fighting Amendment 4 so they can do it again.
Nearly $2 million of the $6 million raised by the opponents of the Yes on 4 campaign since April comes from Wall Street's biggest construction corporations -- companies that recently received billions in federal bailout money. Another $3.5 million funneled to the group opposing Amendment 4 during the past five months came from a who's who of lobbying groups that represent the over-builders/speculators.
Amendment 4 opponents will say just about anything to get you to vote no. In a column, Bill Lazar, chairman of the St. Johns Builders Council comes out swinging. He falsely claims that under Amendment 4 you will have to vote "200 or 300 times per year." Public records show that in St. Johns County there were just 13 comp plan changes put forward since the beginning of 2009. All but three authorized additional density, or greater growth. Most granted landowners the right to change from rural designations to residential, or in other words, turn farmlands into even more sprawling subdivisions. Under Amendment 4, you would have had a seat at the table on these decisions, a vote.
Lazar neglects to tell voters that the state issued a report finding that St. Johns County comprehensive plan has enough growth built into it for the next 34 years without changing a thing. Construction crews are idle because demand has evaporated in a recession fueled by overbuilding, not because of anything that Amendment 4 would require.
I hope taxpayers are connecting the dots: that reckless real estate speculation led to the housing meltdown, falling home values and rising taxes. Our homes and communities are just too important to be left solely in the hands of politicians and lobbyists. We deserve a seat at the table, a vote before our taxes go up to pay for even more overdevelopment.
On Nov. 2, Florida voters have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop the Ponzi scheme economy that politicians and developers created. Vote Yes on Amendment 4.
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Lesley Blackner is the president of Florida Hometown Democracy, the nonpartisan group sponsoring Amendment 4, that will be on the ballot in November.
Tea Parties for Amendment 4
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Amendment 4 opponents' industry mobilization plan a recipe for workplace coercion
Hometown Democracy president Lesley Blackner today issued this statement after recent media coverage about an "Industry Mobilization Plan" being undertaken by the powerful opponents to Amendment 4, or Hometown Democracy:
"It is bad enough that major Florida employers are squandering millions of dollars to oppose giving voters a seat at the table, money that could instead go into growing their businesses and hiring new employees. Now, they have devised a plan to have those same employers lean on their workers to join their pro-overbuilding campaign and even provide lists of employees names to the anti-Amendment 4 campaign team.
"This is a recipe for coercion in the workplace. It is a full-court press that no Florida worker trying to keep his or her job will be able to resist and make a fully informed decision. Such politicking activity would be against the law in public agencies. It is merely unethical and disappointing in the private sector. We hope that employees who feel wrongly pressured by this plan will report any wrongdoing to our website, www.floridahometowndemocracy.com."
The Industry Mobilization Plan supplies a sample CEO letter that boldfaces the boss's "personal" request. What worker could turn this down? Here is an excerpt from that sample letter:
I’d like to personally ask you to take a moment to visit www.noamendment4.com and fill out the Industry Advocate form. Your information will be kept private and used only to educate you, your friends, family members and colleagues on Amendment 4.
The outrageous plan goes further, even asking employers to mail in "detailed" lists of employees to the opposition campaign, as shows in this e-mail to business leaders from Florida Chamber exec Adam Babington:
1. Encourage your employees and colleagues to register as an "Advocate" in opposition to Amendment 4. A high level of participation is critical in defeating Amendment 4 which will hurt Florida's working families. Visit www.noamendment4.com to register.
2. Even easier, provide the "Vote No on 4" campaign with a detailed list of your interested employees, organization members, friends and family. [highlighting added] This data will be handled with the greatest sensitivity and confidentiality and will not be shared with others. It will be used only to communicate the messages of "Vote No on 4."
Amendment 4 is the result of years of effort by Florida Hometown Democracy, a grass-roots, non-partisan citizens' initiative organized to put the voter-empowering amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot. The amendment would give voters the final say over large-scale development projects that want to change a community's comprehensive land-use plan. Yes on 4's website address is www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.
Pd. Pol. Adv. By FloridaHometownDemocracy, Inc. PAC, P.O. Box 636, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
"It is bad enough that major Florida employers are squandering millions of dollars to oppose giving voters a seat at the table, money that could instead go into growing their businesses and hiring new employees. Now, they have devised a plan to have those same employers lean on their workers to join their pro-overbuilding campaign and even provide lists of employees names to the anti-Amendment 4 campaign team.
"This is a recipe for coercion in the workplace. It is a full-court press that no Florida worker trying to keep his or her job will be able to resist and make a fully informed decision. Such politicking activity would be against the law in public agencies. It is merely unethical and disappointing in the private sector. We hope that employees who feel wrongly pressured by this plan will report any wrongdoing to our website, www.floridahometowndemocracy.com."
The Industry Mobilization Plan supplies a sample CEO letter that boldfaces the boss's "personal" request. What worker could turn this down? Here is an excerpt from that sample letter:
I’d like to personally ask you to take a moment to visit www.noamendment4.com and fill out the Industry Advocate form. Your information will be kept private and used only to educate you, your friends, family members and colleagues on Amendment 4.
The outrageous plan goes further, even asking employers to mail in "detailed" lists of employees to the opposition campaign, as shows in this e-mail to business leaders from Florida Chamber exec Adam Babington:
1. Encourage your employees and colleagues to register as an "Advocate" in opposition to Amendment 4. A high level of participation is critical in defeating Amendment 4 which will hurt Florida's working families. Visit www.noamendment4.com to register.
2. Even easier, provide the "Vote No on 4" campaign with a detailed list of your interested employees, organization members, friends and family. [highlighting added] This data will be handled with the greatest sensitivity and confidentiality and will not be shared with others. It will be used only to communicate the messages of "Vote No on 4."
Amendment 4 is the result of years of effort by Florida Hometown Democracy, a grass-roots, non-partisan citizens' initiative organized to put the voter-empowering amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot. The amendment would give voters the final say over large-scale development projects that want to change a community's comprehensive land-use plan. Yes on 4's website address is www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.
Pd. Pol. Adv. By FloridaHometownDemocracy, Inc. PAC, P.O. Box 636, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A question for Rick Scott.
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2010/08/rick-scott-so-you-want-to-be-governor.html
Rick Scott: so you want to be governor? Support Amendment 4... by gimleteye
The lobbyist class was down in its cups at the campaign headquarters of Bill McCullom last night. To run competitively against the ultra deep pockets of health care magnate, Rick Scott, McCullom needed every lobbyist dollar he could find. The special interests rushed to his side. They had everything to gain and they lost. Now what?
Rick Scott can run competitively against Sink, without the lobbying class. Still, and most importantly, he needs enough independents and Democrats to defeat the former St. Pete banker, Alex Sink. Wherever Sink is most vulnerable is where Scott should plant his campaign. Where is Sink most vulnerable as a former financier of development run amok? Amendment 4, the November referendum that would return the choice of changing community land use plans back to local voters.
Sink has avoided Amendment 4 like the plague. It is no wonder, why. From the Chamber of Commerce to Lennar and other large production homebuilders, to the shill for land speculators, Associated Industries, opposition to Amendment 4 has drawn tens of millions of dollars. But Amendment 4 is energizing millions of voters who are sick and tired of the insider dealing and the development Wrecking Crew that drove the economy off the rails.
Isn't limiting the power of government-- especially the abuses of excessive authority-- a cornerstone of conservative values? Alex Sink doesn't have the courage to stand up for Amendment 4. Does Rick Scott?
Rick Scott: so you want to be governor? Support Amendment 4... by gimleteye
The lobbyist class was down in its cups at the campaign headquarters of Bill McCullom last night. To run competitively against the ultra deep pockets of health care magnate, Rick Scott, McCullom needed every lobbyist dollar he could find. The special interests rushed to his side. They had everything to gain and they lost. Now what?
Rick Scott can run competitively against Sink, without the lobbying class. Still, and most importantly, he needs enough independents and Democrats to defeat the former St. Pete banker, Alex Sink. Wherever Sink is most vulnerable is where Scott should plant his campaign. Where is Sink most vulnerable as a former financier of development run amok? Amendment 4, the November referendum that would return the choice of changing community land use plans back to local voters.
Sink has avoided Amendment 4 like the plague. It is no wonder, why. From the Chamber of Commerce to Lennar and other large production homebuilders, to the shill for land speculators, Associated Industries, opposition to Amendment 4 has drawn tens of millions of dollars. But Amendment 4 is energizing millions of voters who are sick and tired of the insider dealing and the development Wrecking Crew that drove the economy off the rails.
Isn't limiting the power of government-- especially the abuses of excessive authority-- a cornerstone of conservative values? Alex Sink doesn't have the courage to stand up for Amendment 4. Does Rick Scott?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Arrested Development’ photo essay documents Florida overbuilding and need for Amendment 4
Readers of the St. Petersburg Times this weekend got a graphic look at the face of overdevelopment in our state: the second installment of a photo essay by the newspaper’s Chris Zuppa called “Arrested Development.”
In the two photographs featured so far, Zuppa shows the economic wasteland cut by Florida developers during the real estate “bubble.” A picture is worth a thousand words; Zuppo’s photos are an eloquent statement about how special interests are ruining Florida, and the cycle that will no doubt be repeated unless voters have a say. That, of course, is simply what Amendment 4 does: gives Florida residents a seat at the table and a say on their taxes, economy and growth.
View the online photo essay at http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2010/photo_galleries/arrested_development/
In the two photographs featured so far, Zuppa shows the economic wasteland cut by Florida developers during the real estate “bubble.” A picture is worth a thousand words; Zuppo’s photos are an eloquent statement about how special interests are ruining Florida, and the cycle that will no doubt be repeated unless voters have a say. That, of course, is simply what Amendment 4 does: gives Florida residents a seat at the table and a say on their taxes, economy and growth.
View the online photo essay at http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2010/photo_galleries/arrested_development/
We urge you to share this excellent piece of reporting with your friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. If you have a blog, be sure to blog about it. These are the images that the opponents of Amendment 4 do not want us to see.
Florida Hometown Democracy's "Roads to Nowhere Pasco County and Beyond" is work in progress of failed developments throughout the state: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&source=embed&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107419183092728904211.00048b963a2262d68074d
Pd. Pol. Adv. By FloridaHometownDemocracy, Inc. PAC, P.O. Box 636, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
Friday, August 6, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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