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Daytona Beach News-Journal, May 9, 2007

Hometown Democracy may cause sprawl

05A Section A Final

No stand on ‘Hometown Democracy’

Editorial
Charles Lee

Volusia County Home Builders Association President Eric Olsen misinterpreted the position of Audubon of Florida when he included us in a list of organizations that he claims opposes the “Hometown Democracy” constitutional amendment campaign. Audubon of Florida does not oppose the proposed amendment. Our organization simply has not acted to support the amendment. There is a fundamental difference.

While there is much frustration over the ineffectiveness of our state’s growth management system, we haven’t endorsed the specific fix proposed by “Hometown Democracy.” It is not clear that the amendment, if adopted, will achieve its intended result. For example, the “Hometown Democracy” amendment is silent on how votes on local land use changes would be conducted. Project by project? Or could an entire year’s worth of land use changes in a county (both good and bad) be rolled into one confusing annual vote? The amendment does not say. Since the Florida Constitution contains no requirement for local governments to have land-use plans, would placing a requirement for a public vote on plans in the Constitution make sense? The Legislature might easily circumvent “Hometown Democracy” by changing statutory terminology to strike use of the term “plan.”

Finally, even if “Hometown Democracy” resulted in a freeze on comprehensive plan amendments, tens of millions of acres in Florida’s rural areas are already designated in “agricultural” classifications allowing a pattern of one-unit-to-five-acre sprawl. Under “Hometown Democracy,” development of those five-acre lots could continue. Should Florida’s remaining natural areas be allowed to be covered up by that kind of sprawl?

Audubon has simply elected not to join in support of “Hometown Democracy” because of too many unanswered questions about the effects and workability of the proposal.

Lee is director of advocacy for Audubon of Florida.