I have been a Realtor in the Tampa Bay for nearly 20 years. I have enjoyed many great times and with them, a few challenges. The last three years have been disastrous for both local property owners and home buyers.
On November 2nd, Florida voters are going to decide on a state constitutional amendment that will all but destroy the future of our state, it’s called AMENDMENT 4. At first glance, it appears to imply that you will finally get a say in what happens in your community. The truth is, buried in the feel good words is an insidious effort by some extreme environmentalists and their lawyers to stop any future capital investment in Florida.
Having the ability to vote whether or not that new what ever gets built in your county sounds good, right? No, because the opposite will occur. Last year, there were over 12,000 comprehensive land use change requests in Florida. In the counties that make up Tampa Bay it’s likely that there could be hundreds of requests in a year. Can you imagine voting two or three times a year on dozens of requests? Voters will likely face pages and pages of requests with little more than a couple of sentences to decide by. What the proponents are not telling us is that people will just stop voting! The end result will be far worse than our current system of public hearings, representative authorities and public vetting process. The proponents also fail to state that not only will schools, stores and business not be built, but it will also impact some repairs or replacement on existing services and utilities! Lastly, if something manages to get approved by a vote lawyers will hold up a decision they don’t like for years! Please take a few moments to see what happened when the city of St. Pete Beach when it passed an almost identical amendment a couple of years ago. AMENDMENT 4 will require any changes to a communities comprehensive land use plan be decided by a public vote.
If AMENDMENT 4 is allowed to pass in Florida, the current dismal 11.7% unemployment rate will be looked upon as the good old days.
Don’t be swayed by the wolf in sheep’s clothing. AMENDMENT 4′s passage will have a profoundly negative affect on the state of Florida. Please take time to investigate this issue then tell all your friends and family. Florida’s future is depending on you!
Recent Comments