This photo is from an outstanding Boston Globe photo essay on suburban sprawl in Florida. (It takes a 1500 mile view to capture the whole of Florida's blasted suburban landscape.) Sprawl is the growth model that plunged the Florida economy into the worst crisis since the Great Depression. The collateral damage included an anti-regulatory fever that plowed wetlands and farmland in its path, without a whiff of dissent from the Chambers of Commerce. It took a great machine to grind up Florida's quality of life. No surprise that this photo shows housing units like gears of a wheel. They represent the Growth Machine, and its meshed gears connecting land use lawyers, lobbyists, rock miners, engineers and planners, campaign contributors and elected officials, and bankers spreading fraudulent paper like confetti. Subdivisions like this one in Southwest Florida could only have been permitted through local zoning decisions that will now require a local vote when Amendment 4 passes. Busting the cartel-- the iron-clan relationship between campaign funders, local zoning officials-- usually city and county commissions in Florida-- and special interests hooked into the Wall Street derivative machine is what Amendment 4 represents. Make no mistake: the mainstream press is quiet on the issue, but Amendment 4 is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Floridians to vote on what happened to our state during the housing boom when common sense was thrown to the wind. Jobs, jobs, jobs? Just click on the photo and say the words, three times: this was called the Foundation of Florida's Future. Amendment 4 makes sure what wrecked Florida will not rise from the dead.
13 comments:
Gimspierre if you were a Doctor and you had a patient with a constant headache would you just prescribe two aspirins or would you examine the patient to see if perhaps there was something really serious wrong.
The burst in this false growth we had did not generate itself, contrary to your belief this economic crisis was not caused by the LBA. This came from the banksters with the aid and complicity of the federal reserve. On a ride home from the airport one night my cab driver was discussing condo buying strtegies on the phone.
Had their been no easy and fast money to consumers and business there would have been no over building, excess money caused a false sense of excess demand.
Proof of that is that the crash has encompassed much more than just the building sector, almost every industry has been gravely affected, but if you got lots of lobbyist in DC you will get bailed out (See Banking, Insurance and Auto industries).
So please use a better argument in favor of amendment 4, I'm sure they exist. Whether it passes or not it will be at least 25 yeras before we see anything like this again (hopefully much longer).
Lee Allen, we know your position...go on the vote "NO" blogs and leave us alone. They have millions, we have blogs and grass roots. We are not giving you free space here.
Cato: your 25 years scenario is not accurate. Developers like Rodney Baretto, Sergio Pino, Ed Easton, etc. own massive amounts of land on the wrong side of the UDB line - which requires a land use amendment change to become more valuable. They all gambled on the change. They are very powerful and the County Commissioners listen to them. Do you think they are going to wait 25 years to cash in? THEY NEED TO MAKE A PROFIT, mortgages need to be paid. The pressure is still on...don't annoy me.
They have no choice even if the BOCC gave them the greenlight all the way across the everglades,
A- No Bank Would Finance Construction
B-Buyers with over 500 credit score are more rare than a strpeless Zebra.
C- Even if you got a plus 700 Credit Score you got to prove income.
This is how it should have been it was the easy money that made all this overbuilding possible, you can't build what nobody will buy because you will lose money. Something no one can afford now, Pino and company will be dragged through the court system for the next 5 years no chance of anything significant coming from that crew for some time.
Cato, if the land use changes, land they paid $75,000 an acre for that they are now holding (worth half that) would shoot up to twice if not three times what they paid...even in desperate times, they would get a profit.
Now they have a losing investment. If they get the land use change they might even stand to gain but at least they will break even. The next person to buy -- a long term land buyer -- has it factored in, and can afford to wait out a few of years of downturn because they have valuable, buildable land, most probably with increased density, ready to go.
You are also not taking into consideration what happens when pre sales are made to people form other countries or when these guys will start to turn these tracts of land into rock mines for the value of the fill.
I agree with you on CRA. Many of the mortgage banksters developed their shady plans to "greenline" in place of older "redlining" practices. Meanwhile, Republicans pushed for deregulation or simply defunded if they couldn't deregulate. There was plenty of blame to go around. Please don't oversimplify, Cato. This crowd won't stand for that.
How about those "build anywhere" developers, lobbyists, and attorneys that sit on bank boards or even have their own banks/mortgage companies? The banking industry certainly was involved in the crash but some of those financing these projects were calling the shots.
How about those "build anywhere" developers, lobbyists, and attorneys that sit on bank boards or even have their own banks/mortgage companies? The banking industry certainly was involved in the crash but some of those financing these projects were calling the shots.
My point is that without the easy money no matter what the land use even those that are landbanking won't pay what Pino and Co. paid for it in DA BOOM.
I oppose moving the UDB but even if we had amendment 4 SERIOUSLY consider the electoral climate in Miami Dade County if the change is worth enough money a gazillion will be dropped in to pay for a good absentee ballot GOTV drive and POOF! the line in the grass dissapears like a line of blow into into Hodding Carters nose or a crack rock in Joe Gersten's pipe.
you are missing my point completely Cato. Read my comment again.
I did, it will still be a losing proposition for Pino et al no funny money and no demand for a long long time.
The alligators (four legged variety) are safe from the landsharks for now.
You don't understand my point. There is long term demand if the PRICE IS RIGHT. Moving the UDB can make THE PRICE RIGHT. IT IS SO SIMPLE AND YOU DON'T GET IT.
Cato we are talking parallel not point to point. I give up.
G.O.D. your so difficult to understand one minute your defending the UDB the next your causing some Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
How did you make the burning Bush Talk maybe if you tried something like a Hymm singing Cypress Tree Pino would get discouraged.
I was being selfish-since I am of the flesh-my point is that by the time that demand rolls around we will either be worm meat or dribbling on ourselves at some nursing home and yelling at Pino who can't hear us because the battery on his hearing aid died three weeks before.
Though I hear you're eternal, then perhaps the problem is that our perspectives are different.
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