Attorney: Let citizes make land decisions Published - June, 3, 2007  By Wendy Wills Pensacola News Journal Lesley Blackner, an environmental attorney from Palm Beach, believes residents of Florida should have a major say in decisions regarding land development. As president of Florida Hometown Democracy Inc., a nonpartisan group, she offered her ideas at The League of Women Voters of the Pensacola Bay Area's 57th annual meeting Saturday at New World Landing. Blackner and her group are working to pass a constitutional amendment, the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment, that would give residents, rather than local government officials, the direct power to approve a county's comprehensive plan. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Our goal? Let Floridians decide future of our state June 2, 2007 Letter to the Editor TCPalm I had to write about the comments Mr. Ken Ferguson made about the Hometown Democracy. He called it a "scam" and made a claim that it is paying $10 for petition signatures. I am currently soliciting petitions for the project and I haven't once heard anything about any $10. I guess this guy calls my neighbors and co-workers special-interest groups. Now for the truth. Hometown Democracy is not a special-interest group but a grass-roots organization that wants Martin County (and all of Florida) to be able to tell developers "no" about land use changes that the politicians and developers keep saying "yes" to. We basically have seen what it looks like when you bullldoze all the green space and pour concrete over it. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Newberry Village debate a preview of constitutional amendment battle May 21. 2007 by staff writer CINDY SWIRKO The Gainsville Sun A proposal to let voters decide if regulatory changes should be made to allow a mixed-use development on Newberry Road will be considered by the Alachua County Commission Tuesday. The proposal is a settlement offer by Brad Stith, a Gainesville resident who has filed a legal challenge to action taken by the commission last year for Newberry Village on Newberry Road at Fort Clarke Boulevard. "We're basically hoping the commissioners will let the citizens decide about this thing," Stith said. "I imagine there will be some discussion on whether it is legal and whether it is a good idea. It is a way to settle this without going through a giant battle like what went on with Springhills." While the settlement deals only with Newberry Village, the remedy it seeks is a preview of a debate that may heat up in 2008 over a proposed constitutional amendment pushed by Florida Hometown Democracy, a group co-founded by Stith's Tallahassee attorney, Ross Burnaman. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	More citizens want to take the law into their own hands May 20, 2007 By EILEEN ZAFFIRO Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- First came the citizen revolt over building heights in Ormond Beach, which blocked a $2 billion oceanfront project and sent ripple effects into development for decades to come. Next was the Florida Hometown Democracy movement, an effort to allow voters statewide to go to the polls every time their local government ponders a change to their city's land-use plan. Now, there's a campaign under way in Ponce Inlet to allow residents of the small town to create new local laws without their council's blessing and to veto recently passed ordinances. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Sick of sprawl, voters deserve chance to stop it May 16, 2007 By PAMELA WINCHESTER Daytona Beach News-Journal COMMUNITY VOICE As treasurer of Florida Hometown Democracy, I would like to clarify misinformation contained in the recent flurry of commentary about our proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution, and answer some of the questions. First, it's no surprise that Eric Olsen, president of the Volusia Home Builders Association, is terrified by the idea of voters having the final say about whether or not they want more sprawl in their communities. I suspect a majority of us are angry and disgusted with what is happening to our once beautiful state. His commentary shows that the development machine is worried about preserving the status quo. For example, Olsen claims that the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment would kill job growth within the construction industry. In fact, a 1999 study added up all the growth already authorized by all the city and county comprehensive plans in Florida and found land allocated for housing more than 100 million people. Since then, there have been thousands of comprehensive plan amendments adding density. In fact, if we never amended a plan again, there is too much growth already allocated. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Florida growth machine gets its annual grease job May 13, 2007 By KENRIC WARD TCPalm columnist A not-so-nice thing happened on the way to Indian River County getting its referendum on growth. Just follow the bouncing ball into the ditch: • On April 30, the Florida House approves unanimously approves HB 1589, which would enable the county residents to vote on any changes to the urban service boundary. • On May 1, the County Commission rejects a charter-government proposal that would effectively do the same thing. • On May 4, the Senate adjourns, with HB 1589 stuck in the Rules Committee. No charter. No vote. No referendum. The commission's marathon May Day meeting was well-documented. As this panel has done repeatedly — first, with Caroline Ginn's ill-fated moratorium and then with lost "visioning" — the commission majority blinked and did nothing. The players may change but, somehow, the outcome is always the same. The Tallahassee story is a bit more convoluted, and even more maddening. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Let referendum settle land changes that affect many May 07, 2007 By JESS R. SANTAMARIA Palm Beach EDITORIAL Property owners have rights to use their property as zoned. If a property is zoned agricultural, the property owner has the right to use it for any and all agricultural purposes. They paid the fair price for that land, and therefore, they have every right to use it for its intended agricultural purposes. Agricultural land owners do not have the right to use their land for high-density residential and commercial purposes. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	'Sense of place' in jeopardy A threatened commodity in modern Florida May 6, 2007 By BILL BELLEVILLE Special to the Orlando Sentinel I was standing out in Jake Glisson's backyard recently, overlooking the edge of Orange Lake. Jake, now 80, grew up on the other side of that lake near a little bend in a country road called Cross Creek. His nearest neighbor was author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who earned a Pulitzer for her superb depiction of people and place in her Florida-based novel The Yearling. Jake and I were talking about the endearing worth of individuality -- and why it's a threatened commodity in modern Florida. "Well, . . . everyone in Cross Creek was a character," said Jake. "You had room to spread out, room to be one. If you tried to be a character today in a condominium with walls only six inches thick, well, they'd ask you to leave." As if in affirmation, a pair of Florida sandhill cranes glided overhead, calling in that deep haunting way they do, like a bird from another time. I've been hearing a lot about "sense of place" lately. Last year I wrote a book about the impacts of sprawl on "community." I tried to quantify personal costs, tried to define what it means to lose a place you care about in your heart. Then, on behalf of the Florida Humanities Council, I traveled the state, fielding questions about it. I visited Bartow and Cedar Key, Lake Wales and High Springs, and dozens of other small towns. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Referendums could change state growth April 30, 2007 By JACK GURNEY Sun-Herald.com Florida Hometown Democracy wants local referendums on comprehensive plan changes. The Florida Supreme Court has approved its constitutional amendment proposal. A proposed Florida Constitutional amendment that would require local voter approval when cities and counties increase density in their comprehensive plans has cleared the legal hurdles necessary to be on a 2008 statewide ballot. Petitions are again being circulated. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Growth Plan Finds Few Supporters Published: Apr 27, 2007 By MIKE SALINERO The Tampa Tribune TAMPA - The battle over how Hillsborough County grows in the next 20 years is being waged between community activists who want to preserve rural areas and developers who say they must expand into those areas to keep housing prices affordable. Thursday night, both sides pleaded their cases to the county commission during a public hearing on updating the comprehensive growth plan. Development of the plan will continue through next year. Neither side seemed particularly happy with the proposed plan. Environmental and community groups are angry that the commission last month removed an element that would have encouraged higher-density growth around transportation corridors. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Have a say April 25, 2007 By JOHN DUNN YOUR OPINION Ocala Star Banner If an invading army were destroying and polluting our state, real Floridians would hunt it down. Why, then, isn't there more outrage when developers and complicit government officials promote schemes that destroy and degrade what's best and beautiful in our state? Years ago, Tallahassee required all Florida cities and counties to forge comprehensive growth management plans to prepare for the growth now hitting us. However, many Florida officials - on behalf of developers - have undermined those plans. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Let people decide on development Saturday, April 21, 2007 By: LESLEY BLACKNER Guest Opinion - Southwest News-Press.com The lack of water, local government pandering to developers has lowered state's quality of life Got water? That seems to be the question in many parts of Florida as we approach yet another Earth Day. It's hard to believe that this state is running low on clean, drinkable H2O. After all, once upon a time Florida was dotted with uncounted bubbling springs, criss-crossed with giant rivers, lakes, and impenetrable swamps. And Florida sits atop the Floridan Aquifer, once one of the planet's greatest sources of clean water. But these days the water management districts are screaming for restrictions and Floridians are praying for rain. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Selling growth, not just houses Tuesday, March 20, 2007 By JOEL ENGELHARDT Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer Development is not inevitable. If residents only knew how hard developers work to get all those suburbs that seem so, well, inevitable, they would be less likely to give up without a fight. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Hometown Democracy Will Protect Communities March 17, 2007 By BEV GRIFFITHS Tampa Tribune COMMENTARY Are you fed up with traffic jams, road widening, loss of green space, high-rise condos that look out of place or conversion of farmland to endless rooftops? If you answered yes, what I have to say will interest you. If the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment is passed it would let voters in their own communities decide whether their city or county comprehensive land use plan will be changed or adopted. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Statewide Campaign for Florida Hometown Democracy Trying for November ‘08 Election Backers Hope to Require Voter Approval Before Comp Plan Changes This would bring some form of accountability to the development process, because right now we don’t have any. March 16, 2007 By RANDY ABRAHAM MiamiSunpost.com Members of a state group pushing to give Florida voters the power to control local growth discussed their petition drive during a recent civic group meeting held in South Broward, but opinions are divided on whether the referendum would spell relief for residents. The state group hopes to pass an amendment to the Florida Constitution that puts all future changes to city and county comprehensive plans in the hands of local voters, said Joyce Tarnow, a Broward resident, activist and volunteer for the Florida Hometown Democracy initiatives. Currently, elected officials make those changes. The group wants to put the issue on a November 2008 ballot and needs to gather 611,000 approved signatures by the end of the year to do so. The stakes, said Tarnow, are high. “If we get this passed, people won’t have to go to their City Commission and plead with them not to increase density. The developers always want more, more, more. If this passes the developers would have to come to the people” and convince them to modify their comprehensive plan, Tarnow said. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	The woman -- and trend -- developers fear March 16, 2007 By LAUREN RITCHIE Orlando Sentinel COMMENTARY That blonde in the classy lime green suit with pale pink lipstick has developers on the run. They hate her. Lesley Blackner is anathema to them. And it's pretty amusing how their last frayed nerve is starting to show. Blackner, a Palm Beach lawyer and mother of two, found herself on the cover of Florida Trend magazine and the subject of a catty profile in the March issue. A headline on the cover asked, "Who's Lesley Blackner?" Another answered: "The woman behind 'Hometown Democracy' -- and why every business group in Florida hates it." The magazine needn't have bothered. Its readers already know. For most of the rest of us, however, Blackner's life work is a mystery, and her name is unfamiliar. Here's the short answer: She's the woman making a liar of every developer who ever repeated the mantra, "Growth is coming -- there's nothing you can do about it." [Read the full article here] [Top]
	What got Floridians to the place they want final say over growth March 15, 2007 By AGNES WITTER Daytona Beach News Journal The Florida Hometown Democracy constitutional amendment is back in the news and will no doubt be on the ballot in 2008. Rather than questioning how we should vote, citizens and elected officials alike should be questioning why such drastic action was deemed necessary. The fear of uncontrolled growth is the answer, and with good reason. Recently a map showing what Florida will look like in 40 to 50 years was published in newspapers around the state. It was a reality check for some. Growth is a done deal. The question is at what price. Uplands, the primary source of aquifer replenishment, are also the main choice for building construction. As we continue to build on and pave over them, is it any wonder we've been warned the aquifer will not support the influx of expected new residents, and that alternative sources for potable water must be secured? Will it come from the St. Johns River or the ocean? The decision has been made. It will be both. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	ON THE MARK: LAND PLANNING AT THE VOTING BOOTH March 2, 2007 By MARK STRAIN NaplesNews.com There is a new challenge to development in Florida that may put the power to make decisions on growth squarely in the hands of the public through an amendment to the Florida Constitution. Called the Florida’s Hometown Democracy Amendment, it would require all changes to any comprehensive plan to be approved by a voter referendum. The informational website is: www.floridahometowndemocracy.com. The website is loaded with information and links that have addressed many of the questions voters have about the impact of such an amendment. There is also a downloadable petition form for registered voters to fill out and send in if they want to see this option become added to a future ballot. Changes to our local comprehensive plan usually occur twice a year in the form of Growth Management Plan (GMP) changes. For any zoning in this county to become reality, the very first step in the process is that the zoning request must be consistent with our GMP. Once that consistency is acknowledged, then developers can go to the next step and actually apply for the particulars of their zoning request, usually in the form of a Planned Unit Development (PUD). Some local land use attorneys have even suggested that once a project is consistent with the GMP, approval is mandatory. Regardless of whether this is right or wrong, the importance given to the GMP is obvious. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	HURRICANE INSURANCE, PROPERTY TAXES AND LESLEY BLACKNER By MIKE VOGEL March 1, 2007 FloridaTrend.com Tickled at the memory of her subterfuge, Lesley Blackner recounts how she went under her married name to a real estate development trends conference in West Palm Beach in October. Amid the real estate slowdown, as she tells it, the mood was hardly ebullient. Then, one speaker, in the course of remarks on land regulation in Florida, touched on an issue dear to Blackner's heart. The proposed Florida Hometown Democracy constitutional amendment, the speaker said, was the "worst idea I've ever heard." "They all just stood up and started clapping," recalls Blackner. "It was the only time I ever saw any kind of energy in the room. You know what? It was interesting to see the kind of reaction because I haven't seen how angry they are. It's like the end of the party as far as they're concerned. They've had it so good for so long." [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Florida's Sierra Club backs push to let voters rule growth! By KEVIN SPEAR March 1, 2007 OrlandoSentinel.com Backers of a statewide proposal to give voters ultimate authority over new subdivisions, shopping centers and other future growth received a $35,000 contribution and vows of vigorous support from one of Florida's largest environmental groups Wednesday. The Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club stepped firmly behind the Florida Hometown Democracy campaign, which aims to gather enough voter signatures to put a proposed constitutional amendment on next year's ballot. If passed, local politicians would have to win voter approval to change growth-planning guidelines. "I think more and more people are becoming outraged by how we are growing," said John Hedrick, Sierra chairman for growth issues, who announced his group's support in Tallahassee. "I think people feel cut out of the planning process." Hedrick said the Sierra Club in Florida has 18 local groups with a combined membership of more than 30,000. Each group has pledged to secure thousands of voter signatures. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Florida's (over)development model produces a damaging new-home/old-home dichotomy January 18, 2007 TCPalm.com EDITORIAL Existing-home sales and prices are slumping, but new-home sales continue to climb on the Treasure Coast. And Florida, one of the nation's red-hot residential markets, now lags the rest of the South. What gives? In a word: overdevelopment. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Activist: Voters can rein in growth By TANIA VALDEMORO Miami Herald January 17th 2007 It's the residents -- not politicians -- who should decide whether new homes, roads or other developments are built in their communities, said Lesley Blackner, president of a grass-roots group that says growth has gotten out of control. Florida Hometown Democracy wants to change the state Constitution to put the power to manage growth in their communities back in the hands of the people who live there. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Planning amendment backers may get unintended result January 9, 2007 By BILL KACZOR Associated Press Writer TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A group sponsoring a citizen initiative designed to give voters a bigger voice in local planning and development decisions may face an unintended consequence from its argument Tuesday before the Florida Supreme Court. The high court previously approved the ballot language for Florida Hometown Democracy's proposed state constitutional amendment, which would require local referendums on changes to city and county comprehensive plans. It will go on the 2008 ballot if the group collects at least 611,009 signatures. Hometown Democracy has obtained 85,235 so far. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	More Fuel for Growth Machine December 24, 2006 TCPalm.com Editorial Just in time for Christmas, two hefty reports have arrived to explore the state of growth in Florida. "A tidal wave of growth is heading our way," warns 1000 Friends of Florida. But rest assured, beleaguered residents, the ongoing onslaught can be accommodated, say the "Friends," who call for "large-scale planning" over the next 50 years. In the second report, the Florida Department of Transportation, bragging about its "world-class transportation system," lays out a five-decade road-building plan that covers virtually every section of the peninsula. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Will big Newberry proposal get vote? By CINDY SWIRKO Sun staff writer December 21. 2006 6:01AM A Gainesville resident who filed a legal challenge to regulatory changes that would allow a controversial mixed-use development on Newberry Road said Wednesday he would drop the matter if the changes are put to voters. The proposal by Brad Stith, who lives in the area, came at a negotiating session among Alachua County, the state Department of Community Affairs, the developers of the proposed Newberry Village and Stith. "We think repeal of the amendment would be a reasonable way to resolve this. Short of repeal, my client is willing to resolve his concerns if the county simply put this amendment to a referendum vote," said Stith's attorney, Ross Stafford Burnaman of Tallahassee. "Should the amendment receive a majority vote, Mr. Stith would drop his case and go away. Should the amendment fail he would expect the applicant would refrain from filing the amendment in a reconfigured form." [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Growth machine casts shadow over state TCPalm Editorial Kenric Ward December 5, 2006 What's wrong, Sunshine State? Just about everything, apparently. A survey of 1,200 Floridians by Leadership Florida, a statewide business consortium, found: Advertisement " No level of government got more than 40 percent approval of its job performance. " 74 percent said illegal immigrants are costing Florida big bucks. " 58 percent rated the state's public schools fair or poor. But 62 percent of respondents (64 percent on the Treasure Coast) still recommend Florida as a place to live. Misery loves company? This seemingly schizophrenic split epitomizes the yin and yang of Florida. In theory, we long for the beauty and slower pace of Old South; in reality, we demand the very creature comforts of modernity that foul our own nest. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Vote On Growth? November 23, 2006 By CHIRSTINE GIORDANO MyReporter.Com THE VILLAGES - If your county were considering changing rural land to an area with apartment buildings or factories, would you like the opportunity to vote on whether the change should be made? Lesley Blackner, president of Florida Hometown Democracy, campaigned for an amendment change last week in The Villages during a Property Owner's Association meeting. "The voters should have final say, because we're the ones who are stuck with the consequences," Blackner said. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Endless growth ends paradise Noember 14, 2006 By LESLEY BLACKNER Florida Voice According to philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, all truth passes through three stages before acceptance. First, the truth is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Finally, the truth is accepted as being self-evident. The truth is that endless growth is a political decision that can be accepted or rejected by the electorate. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Voters, don't give away clout Times Editorial Published November 1, 2006 If you are happy with the cap on your home's taxable value, you should oppose Amendment 3 to the Florida Constitution. Think students should be taught in smaller classes? Then a no vote on Amendment 3 would make sense. Likewise if you enjoy dining without breathing second-hand smoke, want a prekindergarten education available to every child or believe money should be set aside for Everglades cleanup. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Democracy Battle In Florida October 16, 2006 By JOEL S. HIRSCHHORN Opednews.Com Voters In Florida Should Not Fall Victim To The Slick Advertising By Corporate And Other Special Interests. Their Aim Is To Pass Amendment 3. Why? Because The Corporatist State Wants To Up The Percent Of Votes Required To Pass Citizen Ballot Initiatives That Amend Florida'S Constitution, From The Current Simple Majority Requirement To A Supermajority Of 60 Percent. If This Tactic Succeeds, Florida Would Be The Only State Requiring Such A Supermajority For Ballot Measures And Initiatives, And Corporate Interests Will Work To Do The Same In Other States. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	We recommend a no vote on Amendment 3 October 25, 2006 Florida Today Editorial Editorial Follow the money to understand why Amendment 3 to the Florida Constitution deserves a "no" vote. Placed on the ballot by state lawmakers, the measure makes it harder for citizens to change the state Constitution by requiring future amendments receive at least 60 percent approval, instead of the current simple 50 percent plus 1 majority. That would raise the bar on the citizen-petition process -- which is already onerous -- so high it's virtually impassable. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Democracy Battle in Florida October 16, 2006 By JOEL S. HIRSCHHORN OpEdNews.com Voters in Florida should not fall victim to the slick advertising by corporate and other special interests. Their aim is to pass Amendment 3. Why? Because the corporatist state wants to up the percent of votes required to pass citizen ballot initiatives that amend Florida's constitution, from the current simple majority requirement to a supermajority of 60 percent. If this tactic succeeds, Florida would be the only state requiring such a supermajority for ballot measures and initiatives, and corporate interests will work to do the same in other states. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Special interests behind push for Amendment 3 Sun, Oct. 15, 2006 By CARL HIAASEN The Miami Herald One of the most audacious and cynical attacks on the rights of Florida voters will appear as ''Amendment 3'' on the Nov. 7 ballot. A coalition of powerful special interest groups wants to amend the state Constitution to make it harder to -- of all things -- amend the state Constitution. To thwart grass-roots movements that threaten their chokehold on the Tallahassee power structure, the promoters of Amendment 3 want the rules changed so that all future amendments will require 60 percent of the popular vote, instead of the current simple majority. [Read the full article here] [Top]
	Amendment 3 strips power from the people Sun, Oct. 08, 2006 By FRED GRIMM The Miami Herald Voters will find the ballot language of Amendment Three misleading. The real intent is to stop Lesley Blackner. ''Maybe the powers-that-be aren't happy with the idea of citizens fighting back,'' ventured Blackner, arch-enemy of a cabal of builders, landowners, lenders and land speculators who have long had their way with this state. Amendment Three doesn't mention the West Palm Beach lawyer. Or the cause she champions -- the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment. But her initiative terrifies developers used to bulldozing through comprehensive growth plans like rubbish on a vacant lot. [Read the full article here.] [Top]
	Builders Back Rule-Changing Amendment September 27, 2006 By MIKE SALINERO The Tampa Tribune Developers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of a ballot measure that would make it more difficult for citizens to amend the Florida Constitution. Amendment 3, which the Legislature placed on the Nov. 7 ballot, would change the requirements for passing citizen initiatives from a simple majority vote to a 60 percent plurality.A wide array of business groups is supporting the amendment, but the National Homebuilders Association has given $300,000 - more than any other group - to a political action committee campaigning for the measure. The committee has raised $1.8 million. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Forces Line Up To Separate 'Simple' From 'Majority' September 26, 2006 By HOWARD TROXLER St. Pete Times Columnist TECO Energy, the Florida Association of Realtors, A. Duda and Sons, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.  On top of those guys, lots of other corporations and prominent individuals in Florida's agribusiness, land development, construction and retail sectors think the same way. In all, Florida businesses have kicked in the better part of $2-million to persuade you, me and the rest of the voters of Florida to give up some of our power. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Five signs of trouble bubble up at local level September 24, 2006 By HOWARD TROXLER St. Pete Times Columnist When angry citizens show up spontaneously at city halls and county courthouses across Florida to demand lower taxes from stunned local elected officials, it's more than a one-time, freak coincidence. Nope. The series of mini "Boston tea parties" we have seen over recent days in Citrus, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Hernando counties, and in cities from Dunedin to North Redington Beach to Tampa, represent something deeper. The simple reading is that Floridians are just plain fed up. [Read the Full Article] [Top]
	Ruling revives votes on growth August 19, 2006 By CRAIG PITTMAN Times Staff Writer St. Pete Beach voters should get the chance to decide the direction of their community's growth, despite the objections of city officials, an appeals court ruled Friday. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Amendment's Proponents Rally Against 'Growth Junkies' August 19, 2006 By LESLEY BLACKNER The Tampa Tribune You think the traffic is bad now, and the schools are overwhelmed. What happens while the next 5, 20, 50 million people move to Florida?  Right now Florida's population is about 18 million and growing by 1,000 people every day with no end in sight. If you add up all the comprehensive plans in our state, you will find that they project housing for more than 100 million people.  The truth that politicians avoid is that Florida's population growth is never supposed to end. State and local governments are in the growth business. These growth junkies equate relentless, unending construction with civic progress. They like to call it "economic development" or "growing the tax base." [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Lake Responds To Grass-Roots Growth Appeal July 7, 2006 EDITORIALS The Orlando Sentinel The folks from Florida Hometown Democracy were thrilled to get a flood of petition requests from Lake County after a column Sunday spreading the word about their project.  The organization exists to get a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot that would wrench growth decisions from elected officials and put them back in the hands of voters.  The idea is that each time a big developer wants to change the comprehensive plan, the county's blueprint for growth, the electorate would have to give its OK.  [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Legislature puts growth in your hands July 2, 2006 By LAUREN RITCHIE The Orlando Sentinel Ready for a little revenge?  The 1984 Miss America who resigned her crown when Penthouse threatened to release revealing pictures of her said it best: "Success is the sweetest revenge."  Okay, rub your hands together in anticipation and let loose with an evil cackle.  The state that sold its soul to developers may be about to turn as unfriendly as downtown Baghdad during a Quran-burning party sponsored by the local infidels.  The Florida Supreme Court has said voters in 2008 can decide on a constitutional amendment that would change dramatically the way subdivisions get approved.  It could save this state. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Planning-by-referendum passes court, could prove popular June 28, 2006 By MARK LANE The Daytona Beach News Journal Hometowns are good things. And democracy is a good thing. So why does Florida Hometown Democracy make so many people so very nervous? Last week, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Florida Hometown Democracy's proposed constitutional amendment met the legal requirement to go forward. Now it has to get 542,000 more petition signatures and the thing will be on the ballot in 2008. I think they'll do it. At first hearing, the change the Hometown Democracy Amendment seeks in the state constitution seems arcane. It would require a referendum when a city or county changes its comprehensive land-use plan. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Give Citizens A Voice On Major Land-use Changes June 27, 2006 By RON LITTLEPAGE The Jacksonville Times-Union If you happened to be around some developers last Thursday, you may be wondering what caused that shiver to go down their spines. The same sensation likely happened to some denizens of City Hall, like those subdivisions-are-better-than-nature City Council members Lad Daniels and Warren Alvarez. The culprit that caused the sudden moment of fear was a Florida Supreme Court ruling. With nary a dissent, the justices approved the language for a citizens initiative that would give local voters a voice before changes could be made to a comprehensive plan. If the group sponsoring the initiative, Florida Hometown Democracy, can collect enough signatures, the proposed constitutional amendment could be on the 2008 ballot. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Hometown Democracy Means War Is Brewing June 25, 2006 By HOWARD TREXLER The St. Petersburg Times Online If you could line up all the Florida residents who ever fought a Wal-Mart or a new development on one side, and every city council or county commission member who ever approved one on the other side, you would have one heck of a war.  Well, that war looks like it's coming.  This past Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court approved a voter petition that goes by the nickname of "Hometown Democracy."  Hometown Democracy is the ultimate citizen revolt. It would take power away from Florida's city and county elected officials, and give that power directly to local voters.  [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Land-Use Initiative Approved For Ballot June 23, 2006 By BILL KACZOR The Miami Herald The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday approved putting on the ballot a revised citizens initiative that would give voters the final say on where new homes, roads and other development should be allowed, but it probably won't make it onto the ballot this year. Florida Hometown Democracy, the group sponsoring the proposed state constitutional amendment, missed a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting enough signatures - 611,009 - to get on the Nov. 7 ballot, but it would be eligible for the 2008 ballot. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Local Voters, Local Control? June 23, 2006 By JIM SAUNDERS The Daytona Beach News Journal In a step toward a potential high-stakes political battle, the Florida Supreme Court signed off Thursday on a proposed constitutional amendment that would give local voters more power to control growth.  The proposal still has a long way to go: Supporters   must collect more than 600,000 petition signatures to get the measure on the 2008 ballot. But if the signatures are gathered, the proposal likely will touch off a massive political fight as environmentalists, business groups and other special interests tangle over growth issues that touch virtually every community in the state -- and play a large part in driving Florida's economy. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Court Advances Growth Control Initiative June 23, 2006 By MIKE SALINERO The Tampa Tribune A proposed state constitutional amendment that would give voters more say about where homes, schools and businesses are built was approved by the Florida Supreme Court Thursday. The court voted unanimously to approve ballot language for the Hometown Democracy amendment. The proposed initiative would require a vote of the people anytime a county's comprehensive growth plan is changed. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Supreme Court OKs planning amendment likely for the 2008 ballot June 22, 2006 By BILL KACZOR Herald Tribune A revised citizens initiative that would give voters the final say on where new homes, roads and other development should be allowed received the Florida Supreme Court's approval Thursday to go on the ballot but probably not this year.  Florida Hometown Democracy, the group sponsoring the proposed state constitutional amendment, missed a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting enough signatures - 611,009 - to get on the ballot Nov. 7, but it would be eligible for the 2008 ballot. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Big Business dons a disguise to fight voter petitions June 20, 2006 By HOWARD TREXLER St. Pete Times The topic of today's meeting will be amendments to the Florida Constitution. In particular, the topic will be whether the darned uppity voters are proposing too many amendments by petition, and whether we need to crack down. Although Tiger Bay usually tries not take sides, one detects a whiff of prejudgment in the newsletter announcing today's meeting. The article is titled: MORE PREGNANT PIGS?  That phrase is a reference to an amendment passed in 2002, banning certain birth practices used in commercial hog farming. [Read Full Article Here] [Top]
	Amendment has developers in a panic March 28, 2004 by CARL HIAASEN The Miami Herald A grass-roots move to give Floridians a defining voice in how their communities grow has touched off a backroom panic among some developers, builders and the politicians they own. The proposed Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment would provide citizens with the final vote on substantial changes to local comprehensive land-use plans (www.floridahometowndemocracy.com). [Read Full Article Here] [ Top ] [ Got to Page 1 ] [ Got to Page 2 ]