Monday, June 22, 2009

It's Official! Florida Hometown Democracy is on the 2010 Florida Ballot as Amendment 4! By Geniusofdespair


State elections officials declared Florida Hometown Democracy had received the required number of signatures to be placed on the 2010 Florida ballot as Amendment 4!

Watch for some down and dirty campaign misinformation by developers.

15 comments:

amo said...

Can't wait. This should be interesting.

Anonymous said...

Finally! Great News!

youbetcha' said...

Oh boy. Something for the developers and the lobbyists to do with their time and money.

We need a break from all the non-sense. Can we just close the government offices for a couple of months? Then maybe the developers and lobbyists can go to alaska for a secret cruise and we can breathe.

Anonymous said...

First the Government has to approve the change -- then and only then:

"The proposal would require voters to consider all changes to comprehensive land-use plans which determines what can go up in different parts of a community. Without voter approval, the desired changes can not occur."

It is a fail safe.

Anonymous said...

This is indeed good news. I have waited a long time.

Anonymous said...

For Four!

Anonymous said...

Yay, finally we will be able to stores we need and races we don't like out of our communities! I like having to drive really far to buy a drill or see a black person. And I like never having to explain my reasons, just cast that secret vote! IJR

Anonymous said...

Tallahassee attorney Ross Burnaman, vice president of Florida Hometown Democracy, said the proposal would not stifle growth and development but would give residents "a veto" when their city and county commissions want to change long-term growth plans.
"It does not apply to zoning, rezoning, variances, subdivision plats or building permits," Burnaman said. He said business interests opposed to the amendment were distorting its purpose and effect, by warning that it would destroy jobs and halt virtually all growth.
"They said that about the minimum-wage amendment, too," said Burnaman. "That's a red herring."

Geniusofdespair said...

IJR you are way out of line with your racist innuendo. You don't vote on what is in the plan -- like affordable housing etc. You vote on changes to the plan. CHANGES. There is already zoning for your shitty hardware store. If a developer wants to put a hardware store on land zoned agriculture and the county commission approves it, then you would vote on it. If there is affordable housing in the Comp Plan, which there always is, you would not vote on it being built. What is your problem?

Anonymous said...

Burnaman is correct that Amendment 4 does not apply to zoning, etc. It does apply to government approved comp plan amendments. These amendments can number in the hundreds. Will there be hundreds of amendments at any time? No one on this blog knows for sure.

These kinds of broad constitutional changes tend to create bad results. Look at the class size amendment as an example. It is costing untold millions in wasted spending for no discernable purpose.

Amendment 4 should fail and I hope it does.

andrew said...

Magnificent accomplishment by all who were involved in this long crusade. Congratulations and thank you from all of us who will benefit for your efforts, no matter the electoral outcome.

Anonymous said...

It is still dangerous to think how few voters show up at the polls. Dare I say, how do you make showing up to vote a fashionable activity?

Anonymous said...

GOD I am NOT way out of line. If a neighborhood, say the South Grove, has mostly fancy single-family houses, and a developer proposes a mid-rise affordable housing project nearby in the West Grove that requires slightly more denisty than the comp plan allows, how much do you want to bet that there is a massive campaign to oppose that is cloaked in "traffic concerns" but is really about whites and Latins not wanting more Blacks around? I put the odds at 100%. And the project gets shot down and no one ever has to explain why, because voting means neighbors get to keep their racism secret. Just like a few Miami Beach commissioners killed Baylink because their rich white and Jewish supporters didn't want Blacks from Downtown Miami to have an attractive way to get near their precious spoiled children. IJR

Geniusofdespair said...

The comp plan allows for density in urban infill areas. Have you ever heard of doing what the plan calls for? Isn't that simple? If people buy property that calls for a certain density: They should stick with the program. This isn't Miami Beach and Baylink. This is about every developer wanting to go above and beyond what is allowed to tweak what they can make on their investment. And I don't think you can inject racism into it when it is rejected. Maybe you see that motive, I don't. And I don't think the Jewish population in Miami Beach will appreciate you singling them out for Baylinks rejection. To me that is repugnant as I have Jewish relatives.

Anonymous said...

Great news.