On Nov. 2, Floridians will decide on a constitutional amendment that has potentially devastating implications for our communities.
If passed, Amendment 4 would subject all comprehensive land-use plans and plan amendments to an exhaustive, costly referendum process. Supporters of Amendment 4 want you to believe that these referenda would lead to stronger communities by putting decision-making power in the hands of the public. While a more informed and engaged public results in better planning, Amendment 4 would achieve none of that.
The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association recognizes that Amendment 4 is a reaction to the shortcomings of the growth-management planning process in our counties and cities. We also believe that more proactive measures should be taken to improve citizen involvement and public trust.
As an advocate for smart planning and sustainable local economies, APA Florida is concerned about the self-serving and shortsighted planning decisions Amendment 4 would produce. By taking planning to the polls, Amendment 4 would open the floodgates for special-interest groups to pour money and resources into local campaigns. Short-term issues would trump the long-term vision for the community. The referenda would break down the bigger picture into hundreds of smaller issues, making it impossible to understand the larger implications each time a plan or amendment goes up for a vote. And local taxpayers would bear the cost of these hundreds of elections.
Further complicating the process, Amendment 4 would reduce complex planning strategies to a mere line on a ballot, where abstract ballot language tends to oversimplify issues and create more confusion than clarity. These unfortunate realities, coupled with a history of low voter turnout at local elections, are a recipe for shortsighted and piecemeal planning decisions.
We must seek a better course of action, one that engages the public, provides more information to citizens and opens the door to participation and dialogue between elected officials and their constituents. Only then can we ensure that the best interests of the public are served.
KIMBERLY KAY GLAS-CASTRO
West Palm Beach
Editor's note: Kimberly Kay Glas-Castro is president of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association.
