Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc.

It is safe to say that the Chambers of Commerce in Lake County are fairly cautious and conservative when it comes to taking stands on controversial public policy issues. We are "generalists" in make up as our memberships reflect the full breadth and scope of our communities. It is difficult to get a Board of Directors of 21 people to agree on a complex issue, let alone 800 members. That is where leadership comes in, due diligence in researching an issue, and having the best interest of our communities in mind overall when taking on the issue at hand.

On Election Day this year there is one of 6 constitutional amendment referenda that is getting a lot of notice lately. "Amendment 4" would bring every change to a municipal or county land use plan to public referendum. Battle lines have long been drawn between pro business/free enterprise/representative democracy forces and slow growth/environmental/direct democracy interests on this amendment, but it has recently begun to sink in with the general public with elections only six months away.

Our Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has come out in opposition to Amendment 4 as has the eight member Chamber Alliance of Lake County. After careful consideration of the pluses and minuses, we have concluded that this amendment would be foremost a jobs killer in a state that is swimming in high unemployment (currently about 12.8% in Lake); that it would waste public tax funds in order to pay for the plethora of referenda that would have to be held on comp plan changes and for the inevitable law suits that would come from both sides of the argument trying to figure out what its implementation all means if it should pass in November; and lastly, because of its general and vague wording, it is just plain unworkable, impractical and would be taking a shotgun approach to solve a problem that at worst needs a sniper.

In Lake County alone an analysis of comp plan amendment approvals since the year 2000 in our 14 cities and in County government showed that there would have been 707 referenda for the people to vote on if Amendment 4 had been the law of the land. There must be a better way to manage growth here than via a heavy handed referendum like Amendment 4.

As in most things in life, it is all a question of balance. Florida is so polarized right now that everything seems like it's a see saw ride. Extremes are ok to establish parameters, but we need to find the center where balance resides in somewhat peaceful equilibrium. How do we find forums for real dialogue that builds consensus and not win/lose political outcomes on every issue? That's a challenge for groups like Chambers of Commerce now and always. We as citizens need to come to grips with our public discourse, overcome emotions and our fears, and really listen to each other to find common ground. Amendment 4 will do none of that so we respectfully recommend a NO vote come this November.