Why is everyone so scared of the Florida Hometown Democracy Petition?
Go on the Chamber website, you can learn how to keep the public off your store property:
"New Florida Law Clarifies Private Property Owners’ Right to Regulate Signature Gathering on Their Property"
BooHoo...we petition gatherers are so harassing...so we won't shop in your stores, how will you like that?
The sucky Florida Chamber of Commerce has put out a competing petition that sounds very nice, but makes it impossible for citizens to execute. Why? The main objective is not to manage growth, it is to stop Florida Hometown Democracy from getting on the ballot by confusing you. Their petition calls for yet another petition!
Florida Hometown Democracy aims to stop "Developers Gone Wild." With Hometown Democracy (Permanent link on right side of this page) you and your family would control Florida’s future growth by a vote (not another petition). Here is how it would work:
Every community has a growth management plan. The problem in the past has been that the developers give lots of money to the politicians and then the politicians allow developers to go hog wild - letting them change the growth management plan. Just look around. You can see what went wrong. The growth management plans don’t need to be changed – they are reviewed every 5 years.
To fix what has been "Developers Gone Wild", Hometown Democracy looked at the problem and decided that the future plan changes should be granted by the people not the politicians any longer. It is a simple concept and one that would put a stop to all these infernal, needless changes. It wouldn’t cost you more money because developers would know they couldn’t get these changes from us so they would stop trying. Don’t let the Chamber machine dupe you into believing that it will be expensive to hold elections. It will not. There won’t be any. The developers will stop trying.
With Hometown Democracy YOU would vote at the polls to make changes in growth in your neighborhood. The crappy Chamber of Commerce has a competing petition that sounds swell. However, it is deceiving. You wouldn’t automatically vote at the polls like with Hometown Democracy. You would have to go down to the Supervisor of Elections office and sign a petition. And only if enough people do this: Then, and only then, you get to vote. With FHTD petition you get to vote automatically.
How serious is the Chamber at enacting their Anti-Hometown Democracy Petition? Very serious!!! Their members, thanks to a newly enacted law (under our radar again) that went into effect July 1st, they can keep us off their property to get signatures for our GOOD Petition as they collect signatures for their crappy competing shitty, petition. So, In theory, a store like Publix can gather signatures for whatever they please and have us arrested for trying to get signatures for The Hometown Democracy Petition. Nice, huh?
What is everyone in the chamber so afraid of? I will tell you. It is us!
How can you tell the difference quickly as their petition is meant to confuse you: You most likely will be asked to sign their bad petition in a store or out in front of a store. I wouldn’t shop in that store by the way. Boycott!!
Next way to tell: The good petition has DEMOCRACY in it's name!!!!!
Did I mention that the Florida Chamber of Commerce sucked?
14 comments:
Realize that the "hometown democracy" is a misnomer... the push is for each and every comp plan change must go before the voters... rather than before the local governments...excuse me, Broward county had 686 comp plan changes over the last 4 years.
Now, listen... if you don't like what your local governments are doing as it relates to development or anything else, DON'T VOTE THEM BACK IN OFFICE OVER AND OVER! Work toward electing individuals that represent the people! But don't forget that this County is notorious for low voter turn out. Lazy voters. And then we wonder why the whole thing is going down the tubes.
I think our voters don't understand why we vote. Maybe, they don't care to understand.
It isn't a popularity contest and it isn't about the "getting" one of our own into office.
It is not about getting someone into office to promote your business agenda, or your county of origin or whatever else we vote for people for.
It is about resumes, achievements, professional ethics, and good old common sense.
that is the point, we don't need 686 comp plan changes, what do you work for the chamber?
it is because they arre being granted that they are being asked for
last anon?
what? since when have we had ethics in politics in miami..? You are kidding right.
As much as I'd like to support the Hometown Democracy concept, I can't. The reason? Voters and our election campaign system.
If comp plan amendments had to go to a vote, the grassroots would be at a greater disadvantage than we are now (remember we won the last round). Builders would form PACs and "issue advocacy groups" with names like "Florida Families for the American Dream" or some such nonsense and pour a regular stream of cash into TV and print ads about how voting for the changes will bring them butterflies and rainbows.
And a highly uneducated voting populous would fall for it. Hence the current slate of commissioners who either ran unopposed, or were massively funded by special interests. Federal investigations and housing scandals don't even register on the voter's radar.
Now apply that to something as obscure as a comprehensive land use plan amendment and see what we get.
Even if you were right: at least the developer dollars would stop going in politician pockets. The people are not as stupid as you think, however.
Hometown Democracy, or as it's now being called - the "Vote on Everything" amendment - is a joke. Protecting our environment and preserving green spaces should be the top priority of Florida's policymakers. However, this requires years of planning. If that planning gets outsourced to the ballot box, expect that it's going to be impossible to embrace policies that protect environmentally sensitive areas. Everything gets paved over.
you have got to be chamber, that is their line. we are not falling for chamber spin. and if you do the petition we will not shop in your store.
how about our motto, stop "developers gone wild" -- that is what we have now, developers driving the train to ruin. People are not stupid they can vote. We are not voting on everything, only when greedy developers want more bang for their buck and try to get what is not in the comprehensive plan. that is when we vote mr. spinmeister
How often would you have to vote?
That depends. If a builder or developer goes with the zoning they are allowed, never. If they insist on getting more than their zoning allows -- then it would require a vote.
I think they could pile them together and we can vote once if the builders/developers are stubborn.
We are not voting on everything, we are voting on the CHANGES only. Be very clear on that. If no one asks for changes we don't vote at all. Go to Hometown Democracy (link on right)
from their website:
Q: How does Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment work?
A: Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment simply replaces county or city commission votes to adopt or change a comprehensive plan with votes by the citizens. In other words, it lets the people vote. Here's how it works.
Each comprehensive plan amendment will be listed as a referendum election item and scheduled for the next regular election. By having the issue addressed at the same time as the general election releaves the need for a special election and doesn't increase the cost of doing so. No special elections will be necessary - so no special purpose funds would need to be expended. If a community so desires, a referendum could even be held by mail.
Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment gives the keys of stability back to the voters, allowing the will of the people to lock or unlock changes to existing land use categories.
In summary, with the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment, the voters will decide if a proposed change will make their community a better place to live. If the majority vote yes, then the change happens. If the majority vote no, then the change doesn't happen. Its as simple as that.
Didn't Palm Beach County have 1,900 comp plan changes in one year? How would that work?
there should not be 1,900 comp plan changes in one year. That is the insanity. The comp plan should not be that out of wack or the developers shouldn't be running wild...I would think the second is the cause.
here is the mission of a comp plan, what it should be/cover...
taken from the city of Miami:
Miami Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan
The Miami Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan was adopted as Ordinance 10544 on
February 9, 1989 and contains amendments by the City Commission through May 6, 2004.
The comprehensive plan consists of materials in such descriptive form, written or graphic, as may be appropriate to the prescription of principles, guidelines, and standards for the orderly and balanced future economic, social, physical, environmental, and fiscal development of the City.
Coordination of the elements of the local comprehensive plan shall be a major objective of the planning process.
The elements of the comprehensive plan shall be consistent, and the comprehensive plan shall be economically feasible.
The comprehensive plan shall contain such elements, but not limited to, future land use, interpretation of the future land use plan map, housing, sanitary and sewer, natural groundwater aquifer recharge, potable water, solid waste collection, transportation, ports/aviation and related facilities, parks/recreation and open space, coastal management, natural resource conservation, capital improvements, and intergovernmental coordination.
Each element is formatted in a guideline of goals, objectives, and policies that analyzes the elements attainability.
Post a Comment