Amendment 4 - Florida Hometown Democracy
I was contacted by Joyce Tarnow regarding the movement to have an amendment added to the 2010 ballot regarding land use change. It would ultimately and automatically give the citizens a vote to any land use changes after they are passed and approved by councils or commissions. After reviewing the Florida Hometown Democracy website, I feel it is worth supporting and hope that after you review it you will too. As I have said many times, it takes a majority to make a change so if you feel this is a positive thing, you have to help by spreading the word. She said they are also looking for a volunteer for Taylor County, so you can contact her via email by clicking here or by copying and pasting her email: tarnowj@bellsouth.net if interested.
She also sent me some literature that helps to explain the amendment and some actions that have happened. I posted a link for you to download a .pdf copy of them for your review at our sister site. I encourage you to review them and they are free of viruses. Having this amendment will put the power into the people's hands and stop the "silent majority" argument.
Thank you for this information on Amendment 4. Florida Hometown Democracy Too often the ordinary citizens are
not informed and the "powerful" get their way. You need only to look around
in Taylor County to see destructive changes that have been granted by these alliances. Please vote yes on Amendment 4.
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Hurrah for you and for Ms Tarnow. Florida Hometown Democracy (now, after a 5 year fight against developer opposition)is just what we Floridians need in order to regain good government (in place of developer-controlled government) and to save what's left of our lovely State. Get active and spread the word. Go to www.FloridaHometownDemocracy.com and call the contact number to volunteer your help! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. None of us volunteers in this grassroots movement will ever have the energy to go through this again -- we've had to take the developers to court 7 times just to be able to continue with and conclude our petitioning effort to get this urgent Amendment on the ballot!! Take back our local and state governments from the developers! Take back Florida from the developers!
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No doubt this will sound offensive to the public, but come on, anything that resembles a development deal that comes to Perry has everyone salivating like starved dogs. A proposed nuclear waste facility would be an easy sell to these people around here if you promised 10 construction jobs to go along with it and waved some payoff money around.
I'm starting to sense a bit of an agenda from this website by the way. Anybody else getting it?
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Ok I will bite. Please elaborate on what you are sensing the agenda of this website is, because I know what it is and have been open from day 1 of what it is. So, please enlighten me so I can know what this site's agenda is.
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I don't find that particularly offensive. Taylor County is, indeed, desperate for new job opportunities. Personally, I'd love to see a little growth around here. No one is looking to see the area become overcrowded and overdeveloped, but it would be nice if there were a few things here to maybe keep some of our brightest kids from speeding out of town as fast as they can after graduating from high school.
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Maybe I just don't get the point of the Amendment. Break it down for me if you will. Over the past couple of years there have been a few dream proposals come thru town that did and didn't happen. Coal Plant, Yaght club at the beach, Buckeyes new deal with the University on Energy, Bombing Range...all I can think of for now. Wouldn't all of these have needed a change in land use and to be voted on according to the Amendment?
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My view on this may be long-winded, so please bare with me. To me, the amendment simply puts the power of the direction of the county in the hands of the people that live here. Some may say that is why we elect commissioners so they can represent us in those matters. My question is do you really feel they would? As long as there is money in politics, true representation will not happen. All it takes for them to ignore the requests and decisions of the voters is money. Regulations, restrictions, state-of-the-art technologies for pollution control, taxes are all out the window, and I could go on. Those necessary items are bought away. Not to bring up something that is no longer, but for example, the coal plant you seem to have been in favor for, was not going to use maximum state-of-the-art technology to control emission output, for one thing. Now why wouldn't the commission care enough about the health of its citizens to make that a requirement? I think that is obvious. At first I was actually listening to the hype of the plant and was beginning to buy it until all the things they promised was going to happen wasn't going to happen. Well, that is a dead issue and let me get off that.
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-mike-thomas-hometown-democracy-092709,0,24403.column
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Sounds good in theory, but don't know how practical it is. Land use changes happen all the time on an ongoing basis. Are we going to have an election every month? What is the cost of each election? What would voter turnout be vs. the cost of having frequent elections on one issue that might only affect a few? I can understand voter approval for major things like a bombing range, nuclear facility, but frequent one issue elections defeat their purpose.
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Amarillo hit my point. Land use changes happen all the time so unless I'm missing something this Amendment is a big loser.
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In reply to Amarillo and Farmer,"land use changes happen all the time" is exactly the problem that Amendment 4 addresses. A community's comprehensive land use plan is supposed to provide a blueprint for 10 to 20 years based on how the community decides they want to grow, or not grow, and supposedly provides infrastructure phased in to go along with the plan. These long range plans are trashed by too many short term amendments that are mostly pushed through despite objectons from the community. How many times will citizens vote? Only as often as the elected officials sign off on plans that do not comply with the master plan. No special election. If Amendment 4 is adopted, any proposed amendment or newly written comprehensive land use plan gets a final up or down vote at the next general election. It is the only way a community can protect itself against deep pocket promoters who can buy influence with elected officials.
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Long Range plans...and exactly who are we supposed to trust to create them? And then act as if they were written by prophets, I don't think so. How are they supposed to be accurate in a town that has no idea if and when it can attract any outside interest to move in. You say "provides infrastructure" for projects but you have no idea who what when or where. This is a dead argument anyway, but how can you stop a proposed land use applicant from forcing a vote once you take it out of the officials hands? Ulterior motive: This seems like someones project got denied approval and now they are trying to force a vote for approval rather than fight with the city...rapping it in a "We the People" banner.
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Very good points!
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Farmer is misinformed. Long-range plans are those that the community adopts after a state mandated public hearing process. The development plans desired by the community must then be based on plans for concurrent infrastructure. This is what the Growth Management Act created. Land use amendments to this long-range plan must be submitted to the local elected body, then the regional planning agency and then to Tallahassee for approval or denial by the Department of Community Affairs. When Amendment 4 is adopted, the same process through elected officials and planning agencies continues with the final step a vote by the local citizenry. This is how Taylor County could have vetoed the coal plant and the bombing range. Any undesirable project requiring a land use change that the citizens did not want, like incinerators that burn garbage and tires, could be vetoed.
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With the corrupt elected officials in the courthouse and the corruption across the street at the county commission offices the issue would NEVER come to "the final step a vote by the local citizenry". I understand about the process for changing the LDR's, zoning and such, but I am unaware of the citizen's vote affecting such changes.
It is interesting, in a historical perspective, that from what I have always been told, that way back when, the citizen's of Taylor County voted to allow P&G to build a paper mill here at the cost of polution of a river and environment, local restaurants (at the time), and unknown at the time the loss good health for many citizns. I am ok if the citizens vote for the short-term jobs and long-term degradation of their community. That is their choice.
What I do not care for is the choosing of such a path (short-term jobs and long-term degradation) by a few potentates and charlatans. We will have a chance to see this in action soon, if you believe rumor on the street, the TCDA is up to it's old tricks and will float a project to surely be the demise of Shady Grove and Boyd areas.
I feel that any big project should be put to a vote of the citizenry. It should would increase the typical several precincts voting and the typical 40% voter turnout!
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The problem is APATHY!
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Trailer County:
Listen up! If Florida voters approve Hometown Democracy Amendment #4 on Nov.2, 2010, all over the state, every community and every county will get to vote on local proposed land use amendments, or on a new rewrite of their local Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Corrupt officials will not be able to keep the proposed amendment off of the local ballot at the next general election. Go to the web site for the facts; www.floridahometowndemocracy.com This is your chance to have the final up or down vote after an amendment has been approved by your local elected body and the state's planning agency, the Department of Community Affairs.
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Thanks for the information. I bet, if approved, this will be a great disappointment on the part of the potentates and charlatans of our community. I wonder if passed will this go retroactivee and apply to proposed changes in the process? I bet folks are stiring to get changes in before it goes to a vote next year. Keep you eyes open Taylor County, there is no telling what is being planned. Everyone needs to attend the planning board meetings of the City and County!
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Why should someone have to wait an entire year to find out if their proposed land use will be approved or not. Then if its on a ballot there's going to be added cost of advertisement to try and win an election. Come on. Think of what cities do to attract businesses to their area. Give out huge tax cuts..incentives..etc and this is not business friendly at all. Also...I understand how a large industry might need a land use change, but what about applications for commercial use in residential areas, commercial in agricultural zoning... Seems like many small people would be affected here as well. Give some useful information rather than cheer leading slogans like "f the politicians...vote this way". "This is your chance to have the final up or down vote after an amendment has been approved by your local elected body and the state's planning agency, the Department of Community Affairs." Who is more qualified to handle this...the general public or the people you are paying to do a job? Put corrupt leaders in jail and move on. And how many people will say..."who cares on the new proposed gas station" as an example of a land use change. Can you give some clear examples of small and large land use changes for clarification?
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