Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc.

Vote NO on 4 - Fewer Jobs. Higher Taxes. More Lawsuits.
Amendment 4 is bad for you, your business and your kids' future.

WRITTEN BY: Lisa Browne Banic, Lisa B - PR Consulting

[Boca Raton, Fla. - July 2010] Palm Beach County Executive Committee met at Palm Beach College, Lake Worth, Fla. to discuss the priorities and action items pertaining to Florida State Amendment 4 (A4) a.k.a. "Hometown Democracy,"which will be on the November 2010 ballot.

Opponents of A4 are reminding others not to be fooled by the "Hometown Democracy" label. They say A4 - a statewide "Vote on Everything" initiative - is a grave threat to Florida's future. This proposed re-write of the Florida Constitution will imperil Florida's economy and unique quality-of-life by subverting a well-established and democratic planning process while threatening Florida's prospects for economic recovery. With the "Vote on Everything" amendment, citizens - not the representatives they elected - are forced to regularly decide hundreds of technical land-use planning issues at the ballot box.

Organizations in Palm Beach County and chambers like the Greater Boca Chamber of Commerce encourage and support "Vote NO on 4" due to the direct and indirect effects on the economy, on area businesses, and on citizens.

"We need to get the message out to everyone that Amendment 4 is going to hit us like a natural disaster, only it will stick around longer," said David J. Levy, Mayor of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and local co-chairman of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy. "Property values will go down, people won't be able to get jobs, and your grandkids won't visit Florida," he explained.
Experts say passing A4 will raise taxes, hurt our sluggish economy, and make it more expensive to live in Florida.

Karl Nurse, Pinellas County co-chairman of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy had stated in a St. Petersburg Times article February 5, 2010 that projects requiring comprehensive and land-use changes will require a separate vote for each change, stalling (and possibly eliminating) the progress of projects and the jobs related to them.

"Amendment 4 will make comprehensive plan changes so expensive and time-consuming that well-planned development will become extremely difficult," he had stated.

Currently there is a 61% passing rate of registered voters willing to vote Yes on A4.

Bill Graham, Palm Beach County School Board member and associate professor at Palm Beach College said, "We just need 41% to kill it, so get out there and vote before your kids leave the state because they can't find work."

The "Vote on Everything" amendment has already been a disaster in St. Pete Beach, Fla. - the small Pinellas County town that adopted a local version of this proposal in 2006. Since then, residents have suffered through endless litigation, which has caused costs to spiral out of control and turned St. Pete Beach into a battleground for out-of-town lawyers and special interest groups.

A4 will appear on the November 2010 ballot statewide. Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy leads opposition to this measure. To date, more than 200 organizations and 17 editorial boards throughout Florida have opposed A4, including organizations in Palm Beach County and the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. More join the fight each day.

For more information on Florida's Amendment 4 go to http://www.florida2010.org