A Few Last Words About Amendment 4

Feel free to share the info below with anyone you know who may not be familiar with the Vote No on Amendment 4 Campaign. These statements that follow are not me putting a political spin on things, but simply stated facts.

1. It is a fact that Florida newspapers on a broad scale do not as a norm come out in their editorial pages with the same message. However, the following newspapers have all advocated that the people of Florida should Vote NO on 4: Florida Times-Union, Ocala Star Banner, Gainesville Sun, Orlando Sentinel, Treasure Coast Palm, Tampa Tribune, Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald, Bradenton Herald, St. Pete Times, Sarasota Herald Tribune, and the Northwest Florida Daily News. These are the newspapers I know who have taken a stand on this issue. As far as I know, no major newspaper who has come out in favor of Amendment 4.

2. It is a fact that this is what voters will see on their ballot:

NO. 4
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
ARTICLE II, SECTION 7
Referenda Required For Adoption And
Amendment Of Local Government
Comprehensive Land Use Plans
Establishes that before a local government may
adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or
amend a comprehensive land use plan, the
proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to
vote of the electors of the local government by
referendum, following preparation by the local
planning agency, consideration by the governing
body and notice. Provides definitions.
The amendment's impact on local government
expenditures cannot be estimated precisely. Local
governments will incur additional costs due to the
requirement to conduct referenda in order to
adopt comprehensive plans or amendments
thereto. The amount of such costs depends upon
the frequency, timing and method of the
referenda, and includes the costs of ballot
preparation, election administration, and
associated expenses. The impact on state
government expenditures will be insignificant.

Please note that I have taken the liberty to put in Bold Face Print the latter few sentences of this amendment. There is a cost to each county who hold elections associated with this amendment, but no fiscal impact on state government. Will there be special elections. The Vote for 4 Group says no, while the Vote No Group says yes. Florida TaxWatch, a non profit non partisan group, issues a four page report on Amendment 4. You can download and/or read the full report at http://www.floridataxwatch.org/resources/pdf/10052010FiscalImpactAmendment4.pdf .

According to their findings Florida cities and counties make approximately 8,000 land use changes annually. Furthermore, they estimate each local community would have up to two special elections a year to decide on land use plans. Using data from 2005, they went on to say, “While it is difficult to precisely estimate the fiscal impact, by examining the costs of elections in Florida you can quickly see that the impact would be substantial. The FIEC analysis states that the minimum cost per special election for an average-sized county ranges from $143,300 to $287,700; for an average-sized city from $10,500 to $22,000. The FIEC estimates the cost for just one extra election for each voter in the state would range from $10 million and $20 million.”

Also, please read their findings regarding two small Florida communities, St. Pete. Beach and Yankeetown. The experience in those communities suggests that there will be additional legal expenses for each local government to bear.

Taxpayers are already paying local government and professional staff members to do this. Which will cost your local community less is a logical way of looking at this, isn’t it?


3. I have lived in Florida 38 years and have followed Florida state politics closely for the past fifteen years. No other single issue has seen the business community so united, as Amendment 4 from my recollection. According to the Vote No on 4 Group website, the following groups have made it publicly known they would like to see Amendment 4 defeated:

Florida Independent Concrete & Associated Products Association
Alarm Association of Florida
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Florida Association of Realtors
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
American Institute of Architects - Florida
American Society of Civil Engineers - Florida
American Specialty Contractors of Florida
American Subcontractors of Florida
Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated General Contractors of Greater Florida
Association of Florida Community Developers
Building Owners and Managers Association of Florida
Coalition of Business Associations
First Coast Manufacturers Association
Florida AFL-CIO
Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Association
Florida Apartment Association
Florida Association of Counties
Florida Association of District School Superintendents
Florida Association of Electrical Contractors
Florida Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors
Florida Association of School Boards
Florida Attractions Association
Florida Automobile Dealers Association
Florida Bankers Association
Florida Bar: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
Florida Building & Construction Trades Council
Florida Building Materials Association
Florida Carpenters Regional Council
Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association
Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
Florida Citrus Mutual
Florida Coalition for Property Rights
Florida Concrete & Products Association
Florida Economic Development Council
Florida Engineering Society
Florida Fire Sprinkler Association
Florida Forestry Association
Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association
Florida's Great Northwest
Florida Health Care Association
Florida Home Builders Association
Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers
Florida Institute of CPAs
Florida Land Council
Florida Land Title Association
Florida League of Cities
Florida Limerock & Aggregate Institute
Florida Manufactured Housing Association
Florida Mineral and Chemistry Council
Florida Nursery Growers & Landscape Association
Florida Propane Gas Association
Florida Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Contractors Association (RACCA)
Florida Retail Federation
Florida Roof Deck Association
Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors Association
Florida School Boards Association
Florida Solar Energy Industry Association
Florida State Council of Machinists & Aerospace Workers
Florida Surety Association
Florida Surveying and Mapping Society
Florida Swimming Pool Association
Florida Transportation Builders Association
Florida Turfgrass Association
Florida United Business Association
Florida Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association
Floridians for Better Transportation
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Economic Development Alliance Board
Independent Electrical Contractors Association
International Council of Shopping Centers
International Hurricane Protection Association
Manufacturers Association of Florida
National Association of Credit Management (NACM) - ICPC
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) of Florida
National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)
North Florida Transportation Planning Organization
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
President's Council Commercial Real Estate Forum
Realtors Commercial Alliance
Underground Utility Contractors of Florida
United Pool & Spa Association

Folks, these are all facts. Please look them over and call me, if you have any questions. I certainly don’t know all of the answers, but I will to the best of my ability to get you an answer.
Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself regarding amendment 4.
1. Do I really want to vote on everything?
2. Am I qualified to vote on everything?3. Will I take the time to vote in elections that will decide where the next Walmart, Hospital, School, or McDonalds gets built?
4. Do I have enough technical knowledge to decide whether the additional traffic, water and sewer demands for an old abandoned restaurant that a developer wants to erect a new four story condo on the same parcel of land that is located on the other side of the county in which I live?
5. If I choose to not participate in these type elections, who should I trust to decide these matters, someone else who like me is unqualified, or a professional planning staff who is overseen by my elected officials?
6. How much will this cost my community?
7. When was the last time I went down to a city or county commission meeting where a developer has challenged a staff recommendation to deny a land use change?
8. What makes me think I will put any more effort into voting on each land use change that surfaces in my community?

My personal feeling about this amendment is it puts the economic recovery to our state at great risk.

I implore you to Vote No on 4.

Thank you.

Wade Mullins
Quality Precast Company
wadem@qualityprecast.com