Critics tell it: Florida Hometown Democracy will lead us to ruin

To hear the critics tell it, Florida Hometown Democracy will lead us to ruin.

Why, it will allow each and every one of us to vote on the comprehensive plan amendments that shape the communities in which we live.

Think of it. If the proposal reaches the ballot in 2010, and if voters approve it as a constitutional amendment, they might say no the next time a developer wants to fill in wetlands for a condo project.

It might even shift the balance of power and alter growth patterns in Florida.

Ryan Houck, executive director of Floridians for Smarter Growth, a political action committee backed by Big Business, visited Punta Gorda on Wednesday to warn us not to put too much faith in ourselves.

We're just not ready for it, he told an audience of 50 at the Peace River Federated Republican Women's Forum.

Houck conjured up visions of 30-, 40- and 50-page ballots. He warned of roads and schools and community centers that would never be built.

He implied that kooks, outsiders and the ignorant backed the amendment. And he predicted the measure would freeze growth and the economy.

We've come to expect hyperbole in the political process, but this was a bit much.

For instance, Houck claimed that if the amendment passes, voters in Punta Gorda might have to rule on 200 to 300 comp plan changes in the poll booth. That's unlikely, considering that Charlotte County might make 70 in a year.

The point is, we're going to hear rhetoric from both sides over the next two years, and we'd better learn to separate the truth from the ... well, let's just call it fiction.

One truth is that for people tired of congested roads, disappearing wildlife and polluted waterways, Florida Hometown Democracy represents hope. It offers a means, however imperfect it might be, of preserving what's left of a state they love.

And even if voters turned down every comprehensive plan change that came before them (also unlikely), it would not necessarily stop growth.

A 1999 study conducted through the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council estimated that existing comp plans, with no amendments, would accommodate a statewide population of as many as 101 million.

Yes, the hometown democracy movement has its faults, and may, as its critics point out, have unintended consequences.

Founder Lesley Blackner has a response to that. "Is anything crafted by human hands perfect?" she asks. "I think the idea of letting imperfect people vote is fitting in our society."