Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Democrats, Republicans and Independents Aside -- Constitutioinal Amendments Spell Disaster for Florida's Economy

A wise man once said, "During elections, leopards grow stripes and zebras get spots!" Florida's 2010 races continues to set new highs in buffoonery and "Wow, did that just happen?"

Regardless of your political leanings, personal convictions and moral compass, there is one critical item which everyone in Florida's nursery and landscape industry should agree is a bad idea..... Amendment 4 (aka "Hometown Democracy").

Typically, my Tallahassee Talk is a forum for "tongue in cheek" humor and irreverent commentary on political issues facing Florida's nursery and landscape industry. So, if you are expecting the typical posting, you will be dissapointed. :(

As we steam towards November 2nd, Floridians find ourselves pondering tough decisions as to whom to support as our state's next U.S. Senator, Governor, Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture. Collectively these decisions will set the stage for how Florida businesses recover from the slow economy.

However, there is a lesser publicized issue which appears on the 2010 Florida ballot. By all accounts, it will decimate Florida's economy, raise taxes, cost jobs and generally set Florida back 50 years. This lesser known issue can be found under the proposed Constitutional Amendment-- Proposed Amendment #4 (aka Hometown Democracy).

Although the monetary backers behind Amendment 4 have been trying to qualify for Florida's ballot for several years, this is the first time they've successfully met the criteria. So, the decision is now up to us Florida voters!!!!

So what is Amednment 4?

Amendment 4 is the ultimate growth regulator. In practice, Amendment 4 requires all changes to a local comprehensive plan to be placed on a ballot for citizen approval. This means road widenings, building new schools, growth in Florida's rural areas, any activity (good or bad) which requires a change in planning will have to be voted on by the residents within that local jurisdiction!

Well, I don't like my local government, maybe this Amendment 4 isn't so bad... Wrong! As aggravating as they sometimes are, local governments have staff who specialize in planning. When they vote on a comprehensive plan change, local elected officials are accountable to us voters at election time. Amendment 4 removes this accountability. Secondly, Amendment 4 is nothing more than a "lawyer relief act", meaning pro-development groups and anti-Development groups will be able to legally challenge the results of every citizen-voted change to the comp plan.

If you think I'm being sensational, just take a quick look at the city of St. Pete Beach. The small town of St. Pete Beach implemented a local version of Amendment 4 in 2006. The measure has decimated its economy, created chaos at the polls, and caused a proliferation of special interest lawsuits. To date, the citizens of St. Pete Beach have seen nearly a dozen lawsuits costing local taxpayers almost three-quarters of a million dollars in legal fees so far. When St. Pete Beach voters approved four pro-economy changes to their comprehensive plan in 2008, Amendment 4 lawyers sued to overturn the results of the election. Nearly two years later, the people of St. Pete Beach are still defending their vote in court. The St. Petersburg Times concluded Amendment 4 “invites short-term thinking and frequent referendums that are even more susceptible to well-financed campaigns by powerful interests.”

You think business is bad now.... If Amendment 4 passes "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) has joined many other private groups, local governments and elected bodies opposing this misguided Amendment. FNGLA's Board of Directors approved a Public Policy Position Paper nearly 6 years ago. This paper was updated in 2009 for the current election cycle. Here is FNGLA's position:
FNGLA opposes the proposed Amendment 4 which will appear on the 2010 Florida election ballot because it will circumvent growth management policies; jeopardize private property rights; remove local government flexibility for economic growth; and, place all future growth management decisions in the hands of voters who, with little technical information and data, will be forced to cast votes in favor or against every proposed local comprehensive use plan change.

To view the entire policy please visit: http://www.fngla.org/political-center/policy-issues/

The bottom line is Amendment 4 is bad for business. It's bad for residents. It's bad for visitors. it's just bad!

Every Floridian should be opposed to proposed Constitutional initiatives such as Amendment 4. Yet, as outrageous as it sounds, Amendment 4 has a better than average chance of receiving the required 60% of votes necessary to be added to the state's Consititution.

As a result, we can ill-afford to allow any of our friends, family, colleagues and business associates to remain ignorant of the likely impacts of Amendment 4. FNGLA strongly encourages each of our members to visit the following link to learn more about Amendment 4: www.florida2010.org

This link contains information about the impacts of Amendment 4, information on how you can assist in the education of voters, the ability to contribute to the campaign to defeat Amendment 4, and talking points to disarm the "Naysayers"!

The success or failure of Amendment 4 rests in the hands of Florida's voters (i.e you and me)! The responsibility is ours. Are you up for the challenge? I know I am!

Until next time,
Jim