Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc.

Passage of Amendment 4 would lead to hundreds, if not thousands, of extra elections that would cost $44.6 million to $83.4 million statewide, Florida TaxWatch said in a briefing released Tuesday.

The group gives ammunition to opponents of Amendment 4 who are seeking to counter Amendment 4 supporters, who say projects run amok cost taxpayers millions in services.

Amendment 4, which is on the Nov. 2 ballot, would give the public a statewide thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote on comprehensive land use changes after elected officials vote.

Another argument given by TaxWatch's brief is: "Our nation’s founding fathers and Florida TaxWatch have long warned against 'hyper-democracy' and its threat to our republic form of government. The current process to amend comp plans is already accessible and open to the public. The voters currently hold elected officials responsible for their actions in amending comp plans."Supporters say it could rein in sprawl, while opponents are concerned the measure will kill jobs and hinder economic development.

I'll loosely interpret the last sentence as: We can always vote the bums out.

Amendment 4 opponents in general are concerned that NIMBYism (not in my backyard) among the public could kill worthy projects that elected officials would be in a better position to judge.

“With Amendment 4, you are putting a roadblock in place,” Debbie Orshefsky, co-chair of the national environmental and land development practice at law firm Greenberg Traurig, said during the Business Journal's Aug. 6 Critical Conversation about Amendment 4. “The public is very parochial. The public is going to think of ‘what is good in my backyard?’”

However, Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish expressed concern about sprawl and collusion.

“The biggest problem is we are all sick of it. We don’t trust a lot of the people we elect because we pick up the newspaper and they are being indicted, charged or hauled off to jail,” she said.

The Amendment 4 vote will follow a parade of arrests of elected officials in South Florida, including Broward School Board member Stephanie Kraft on Monday.

Beyond the cost of elections, Florida TaxWatch expressed concerns about jobs.

"Amendment 4 would stymie business formation and expansion as higher costs would emerge for approved commercial and residential investment. Future development in the state will be further deterred, as potential and existing industry would face uncertainty and longer waiting periods as a result of the required elections under Amendment 4," the group said.

TaxWatch is conducting an economic analysis to quantify the economic impact, of Amendment 4, but it's clear it would have "serious, negative long-term effects on our economy, jobs, and the taxpayers' wallets," the group says.

TaxWatch said it would rather see taxpayers' money spent on education and the promotion of investment in modern infrastructure.

So, what is Florida TaxWatch? It's known for offering constructive suggestions on trimming the state budget and its recommendations often get traction in Tallahassee. (Click here for an article on the group's budget turkeys I wrote in May.)

The group calls itself a nonprofit, non-partisan research institute that represents the taxpayers of Florida in general from many walks of life.

The list of its officers and executive committee members includes current and past employees of PSS World Medical, AT&T, PBS&J, Verizon, Prudential Financial, Patriot Transportation Holdings, Publix Super Markets, Holland & Knight, U.S. Sugar Corp., IBM, AvMed Health Plans, American Reprographics, Greenberg Traurig, SunTrust Bank Florida and the Walt Disney World Resort.