Nobody Changes Their Vote for No Reason
Novelist Carl Hiaason discusses county commissions in Florida vote on land use amendments and how Amendment 4 will change the process if passed.
Via Examiner.com
Outside the clouds of doubt about the Gulf oil spill, there is a ray of hope in Florida’s future. On the November ballot, voters will be given an opportunity to decide if they want to take the power of land development out of the hands of local governments, and put it in their own hands instead.
It’s called the Florida Hometown Democracy Land Use Initiative and will appear on the ballot as Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution.
The concept is a simple one; if the amendment passes, developers will no longer be able to get permission to build or develop land from local planning boards for major projects. Their new ‘bosses’ will be the people.
For example; if a developer wants to change the zoning on agricultural land to build a residential subdivision, it will have to be approved with a majority vote by the people.