SOUTHWEST FLORIDIANS SOON will vote on two important economic development-related issues.
The first is Amendment 4, the Florida Hometown Democracy-sponsored constitutional change, which would require voters' approval for comprehensive land-use plan amendments.
The second is a local initiative that would allow counties to provide ad valorem tax breaks to companies creating local, high-paying jobs.
Let's talk about Amendment 4 first. This is direct democracy in action -- let the people decide what changes should be made to land-use plans. Forget about our elected officials and the professional staff who work for them. These official's years of education and experience in dealing with these issues are immaterial.
The Economist recently described direct democracy as the "crack cocaine of governance." It can provide an Election Day high, but its aftermath can be devastating.
If you want to see what a crackhead looks like, witness California.
The sample ballot for my first election as a California voter was as thick as the Grand Forks, N.D., phone book that I'd just left behind. There were more than a dozen propositions of all types on the ballot, and just reading through them was a chore.
Did the average voter have the time or ability to analyze each, based on its merits or fiscal impact, and then make informed decisions? I don't think so. Instead, I'm sure many voted based on the slickest and best-financed advertising campaign that engulfed the airwaves.
This scenario has repeatedly played out in Florida and will do so again -- and again, and again -- if Amendment 4 were to pass.
The big-money advocates of these projects would have the most to gain from Amendment 4's passage, despite the fact that these are the folks whom supporters of the provision want to keep in check.
I'm all for exercising your opinion, but I think it's best that we leave these decisions to those we have elected. They have the time and the support staff to do thorough analyses of proposed land-use changes.
Amendment 4 supporters argue that the government approves whatever developers want to do, but that is simply not true.
In Orlando, Orange County commissioners recently voted down a controversial plan to build 6,300 homes despite a well-financed team of lawyers, consultants and public relations experts making a strong case on behalf of the developer.
The commissioners decided the project's fate after listening to all sides and hearing from their staff.
But what if the final say had been up to voters? The opponents' concerns about sprawl might have been drowned out by the developers' polished ad campaign -- and the bulldozers might be getting land ready for those 6,300 homes.
Ad valorem tax exemption
When your toilet is clogged, you want your plumber to show up with a full toolbox, right?
With the unemployment rate at more than 11 percent, our economy is clogged -- and Southwest Florida's economic development officials need all of the right tools to fix it.
