In a Dec. 12 editorial ("The real Amendment 4"), The Palm Beach Post exposed the dangerous uncertainty surrounding Amendment 4, a proposed change to Florida's Constitution. In a letter to The Post, Lesley Blackner — one of the amendment's authors — tried to publicly rewrite the measure she failed to craft properly in the first place. The facts do not back her up.
When Florida voters go to the polls in 11 months, they'll vote for a new governor and U.S. senator. They'll also decide the fate of Amendment 4, which has the potential to clog future ballots and repeatedly drag voters to the polls to approve every future change to a county's comprehensive plan.
Now that Florida Hometown Democracy organizer Lesley Blackner has gotten her proposed amendment on the 2010 ballot, she has decided to dictate its terms to the public.
If Floridians approve a constitutional amendment on the November 2010 ballot, local voters would have to vote on every change to a city or county comprehensive plan — the blueprint for development — no matter how innocuous. Ballots would be full of items that have little impact on, and make little sense to, the average voter.
St. Pete Beach Abandons Local Version of Amendment 4
Date:
November 5, 2009
Since beginning a 3-year experiment in Amendment 4-style rule, St. Pete Beach residents have seen endless lawsuits, higher taxes and widespread economic turmoil.
Initiative to give voters control over development makes it on the 2010 ballot
Source:
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Date:
October 6, 2009
The way officials throughout Florida, often at developers' behest, trample local growth plans is maddening. So, it's no wonder Hometown Democracy, a grass-roots movement, got enough public support for a 2010 ballot to alter that landscape. It would require public votes on any changes to local growth plans.
Something's needed to get officials to honor growth-management plans. And Hometown Democracy appears an earnest, provocative and intriguing way of making them do so.
But Floridians would make a big mistake supporting this misguided effort.
The cost to local governments of including the land-use amendments on ballots would soar into the millions. And it would pain Floridians who vote absentee. A ballot that now costs about 90 cents in postage could triple when weighted down by more amendments.
There's a better way.
Hometown democracy: Proposal will hurt the economy
Source:
The Florida Times-Union
Date:
September 24, 2009
In 2006, my hometown, St. Petersburg Beach, became the first community in Florida to adopt a local version of Amendment 4, what some have called "Hometown Democracy."
We were told that the amendment would simply "give the people a say on growth." So, I signed the petition to put it on the ballot. And in 2006, I voted for it.
To call it a "bad decision" would be a spectacular understatement.
Our town is proof that Amendment 4 is designed to stop growth, regardless of what the voters want.
Amendment 4: Defining the Debate
Date:
September 11, 2009
The wealthy backers of Amendment 4 (formerly known as ?Hometown Democracy?) have invested six years and nearly $2 million in their attempt to re-write Florida?s constitution. With their amendment now slated to appear on the 2010 ballot, the debate over this anti-jobs proposal is rapidly heating up.
St. Pete Beach proves that Amendment 4 will cost jobs and hurt taxpayers
Date:
September 9, 2009
Dear Fellow Floridian,
In a recent email, backers of the Amendment 4 campaign reacted to several of our arguments about the fundamental flaws in their proposal...
Helping to Stop Admendment 4
Join the conversation
