Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Florida Hometown Democracy Petition Has the Signatures to Get on the Ballot. By Geniusofdespair

Required for review by Attorney General: 67,683
Required to have initiative on the ballot: 676,811
Number currently valid: 705,176
Number currently revoked: 13,280 (Waiting for Court Opinion, read Gimleteye's post below)

Total number valid: 691,896

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hometown Democracy will be a financial disaster, especially in Miami-Dade. The cost of preparing these ballots in 3 languages will be prohibitive because the ballot counting machines are not sufficiently robust to handle the expected number of pages.

I don't want to vote on master plan amendments. The ballot is too long as it is. Most people already stop after the major races.

This is a fool's errand.

Jill said...

Nobody will force you to vote anonymous.

If you don't think this state isn't already in a financial disaster from rampant growth, then you haven't been paying attention or you don't understand the concept of supply and demand.

Geniusofdespair said...

Maybe there won't be so many comp plan amendments anymore if this is enacted. The only reason there are a lot is because these commissioners grant them for their pals and contributors. If you have a good plan you don't need the amendments, it is reviewed ever 7 years. Maybe you make the needed changes when it is reviewed...?

Anonymous said...

It's not just the development community that opposes Hometown Democracy. It's also the vast majority of the planning community. All that this will do is turn every development idea into a full blown marketing campaign. It would be an absolute disaster and a huge waste of money and time. Some of the unfortunate happenings of the last few years shouldn't lead to this bad piece of law. The unfortunate thing is that the mass uneducated public will likely vote to enact this.

Anonymous said...

Only comp plam changes that have been reviewed AND APPROVED by the local government will go to a vote. Local governments can reduce the number of ballot questions by only approving the ones that have merit. I think it is great that the people get the final say over development in their community. Not everyone will vote on every petition only the local communities. In unincorporated areas, the whole unincorporated area will vote. The numbers will be small, especially if the governments weed out the losers. What a concept; I get to vote! Developers and Chambers don't like it because it's harder to buy the citizens than a few commissioners.

out of sight said...

I want to vote on county projects of regional impacts even if I am in a city!!!!

Jill said...

Comp plan changes are already a full-blown marketing campaign. The campaign is waged in the commission chambers by developers, consultants and land use attorneys - all people who are on the clock when they sit thorough meetings that get continued and postponed and put off until the opposition is worn out..
When residents ask for applicants to demonstrate the need for additional housing units or ask how the county is going to pay for the impact to roads, schools, fire and police services, etc. they are told they are NIMBYs.
Even the most dedicated citizen activist can't keep up with lobbying efforts of the local builders associations. The changes should be made for sound planning reasons not because some grove owner all of a sudden decides he’d make more money growing condos.

Anonymous said...

This is a terrible idea that is going to paralyze elections. Current elections equipment is designed for ballots of several pages. HD's ballots will be 20 - 30 or more pages because CDMP amendments will be lengthy. Again, instead of fight these battles before the local governments, HD supporters want to destroy the whole system.

Don't forget: planning department amendments will also have to go on the ballot. Are you happy with everything that's in the current master plan?

HD is just dumb policy.

Jill said...

That's just speculation.

Anonymous said...

It's not speculation Jill. Today, we do not vote on master plan amendments. I live in Dade County. If just the county has to put master plan amendments to a vote, you are talking dozens of items. In an active cycle, you may be talking several dozen.

This figure does not include any of the 30 plus municipalities.

Dade County does not have a spotless record of running elections. HD just adds to the chaos.

Jill said...

Maybe there should'nt be so many ways to avoid growth management and fiddle with the comprehensive plan.

Geniusofdespair said...

Right Jill!

Anonymous said...

The developers wrecked Florida and instead of reining in greed, they just want to expedite permits and zoning. FHD is exactly what is needed.

Anonymous said...

Ok, let's follow your logic to it's absurd conclusion. If you want to vote on all master plan amendments, then you are likely to see a move to repeal the existing master plans, including the UDB component. How would you feel if the master plan itself had to be adopted by all the people who would be affected?

Anonymous said...

Oh my, talk about being reactionary, and not visionary. We have a representative form of government for a reason. If you don't like the decisions, then vote them out. If you don't like the Commissioners who vote against your say no to all development anywhere just because arguments, then push a petition to make Commissioners elected county-wide, and see what difference that makes. You want to grind all development in Florida to a halt, just continue down this path. You may think you want it now, but, in the very near future, you will see that the rememdy was much worse than the disease...

Anonymous said...

HD will not stop development: count on that fact. In fact, HD may create the exact opposite result if the legislature begins to focus on the inequities of the master plan process.

If you want an analogue, look at the classroom size amendment or the high speed rail amendment. Each of those amendments upon further analysis by rational parties resulted in reactionary movements. Just this year, the legislature delayed implementation of class-size because it would have harmed education funding.

Jill said...

How do you figure that?

Geniusofdespair said...

Who is reading this blog? Or more importantly why are you reading it? I can't even begin to respond.

Jill said...

Trolls. And funny how they are always named Anonymous.
Not that you ever really know who anyone is on the internet.