Since beginning a 3-year experiment with their own version of Hometown Democracy, St. Pete Beach residents have seen endless lawsuits, higher taxes and widespread economic turmoil. Recently, citizens of St. Pete Beach scaled back their local version of Amendment 4 so that only certain land use changes require a referendum. The voters chose to rein in their own local experiment by a decisive 60-40 margin.
"St. Pete Beach residents are tired of voting on everything, especially issues that don't even relate to development," said Ward Friszolowski, former Mayor of St. Pete Beach. "This amendment doesn't work. It has resulted in chaotic, confusing and expensive elections driven by sound bites rather than sound planning."
St. Pete Beach is proof positive that Amendment 4 is not designed to give the people a say on growth. It is designed to give anti-growth lawyers another legal avenue to stop commonsense progress, even when voters approve it. In St. Pete Beach, the taxpayers' legal bills continue to mount. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight.
Floridians for Smarter Growth leads opposition to Amendment 4. To date, more than 170 organizations throughout Florida have opposed Amendment 4. More join the fight every day.
http://www.fhba.com/index.cfm?referer=content.contentItem&ID=1998
Wade Mullins
Quality Precast Co.
wadem@qualityprecast.com
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