what is hometown democracy?
I’m sure you have heard of Hometown Democracy. Citizens tired of unchecked development and rampant growth have put together a constitutional amendment to make sure that nearly each and every property improvement is voted on by citizens like you.
Howard Troxler says “Hometown Democracy is the ultimate citizen revolt. It would take power away from Florida’s city and county elected officials, and give that power directly to local voters.” Here’s how it works:
Each city and county currently has some sort of “comprehensive plan” which determines what kinds of things get built where. Hillsborough County’s comp plan spells out where we can build industry, retail, residential, parks - just about everything.
Currently, any property owner (usually a developer) can ask for changes to the comp plan, and if elected and appointed officials think it is a good idea, they change the plan.
If the Hometown Democracy amendment passes, there can be no changes to the plan without voter approval. The amendment would not require voter approval for rezonings or building permits, but zoning decisions must obey the comp plan.
Hometown Democracy was created because some citizens feel that “too many county and city commissioners just can not say no to comprehensive plan amendments that are destructive to a community’s well being.” Supporters also have produced a four minute video that spells out their stance: Why we need Hometown Democracy.
Developers and other pro-growth groups are freaking out. They say that if the amendment is passed, most property improvement plans will become a bureaucratic nightmare. Some say that growth will come to a complete halt, and that any growth would become much more expensive.
The Underground Utility Contractors of Florida says that things are just fine as they are:
The nations [sic] most comprehensive statewide growth management law that requires input from professional planners, two public hearings, a review and an appeals process at the state level and numerous opportunities for citizens to participate in and challenge any changes to the Comprehensive Plan would be replaced by ballot box planning.
They also suggest that voters are too uninformed and apathetic to make “complex land use decisions.”
The Florida Chamber of Commerce says Hometown Democracy will “Cripple Florida’s Economy and Choke Investment in Our Communities and “Artificially inflate housing costs,”
In a nutshell, here are the two sides:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… If you are ok with how your government currently approves changes to the comp plan, don’t do anything, and be prepared to vote “no” to Hometown Democracy if it shows on the ballot in January.
OR
These idiots that I elected are not doing what I expected. I now want a say in every single comp plan change. Go sign the petition to get Hometown Democracy on the ballot.
Resources:
Florida Hometown Democracy
For:
Save the Manatee Club
The Sierra Club
Against:
Underground Utility Contractors of Florida
Florida Chamber of Commerce
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September 19th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Anyone remember last year when there were projections of growth and how the I-4 corridor would become a virtual non-stop sprawlway between Tampa and Daytona Beach? With projections like that — continued, unchecked growth and such — I’m trying to understand why the current status-quo is a good thing?
At the same time, I can see a lot of tediousness in the voting for zoning changes. While stopping a Wal-Mart Supercenter from taking up shop along a river will get the neighbors out to vote…. What happens when you come to a development that is ambiguous in description or where there is no description and just the zoning change is posted?
The location matters on this amendment just as much as trying to reign in unchecked growth that the local area governments won’t do (with thanks to who is filling their coffers with campaign contributions and such).
September 19th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
If the Underground Utility Contractors of Florida are against it then it can’t be a wise idea. Wait, don’t they do all of their work underground anyway??
September 19th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
The petitions will be out untill the end of the year,if you have not signed one do so as soon as possible. If you receive a letter with the postage all ready paid,just send the empty envelope back to the sender.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Go to flhometowndemocracy.com, download the petition, sign it, fill out an envelope with the address, put a stamp on it and mail it back to them.
The real issue here for me is the fact that big business does not want regular citizens gumming-up the machine that works well for them,i.e., making political contributions to elected officials who are only thinking about the next election and how they are going to buy all that TV time, postage and printing their glossy brochures. So it would be easier to just make contributions then get a return on the investment.
I don’t know how difficult it would be at the polls to vote on Comp Plan amendments, but our constitutional officers elected and paid for with our tax dollars ought to be able to figure out how best to go about getting this done. We hire, with tax dollars, professional planners who ought to be able to facilitate the orderliness of accomplishing these tasks.
Is Hometown Democracy a good idea?
Let the voters of Florida decide the issue, I say.
September 20th, 2007 at 11:09 am
There exists a fundamental unfairness in Hometown Democracy as presented. By throwing the comp plan process into the ballot box, it allows the ENTIRE county to decide proposed amendments that may only affect a small portion of land.
Let’s also not forget comp plan amendments are needed at times to build schools, fire stations, and police departments.
Basically, the amendment would allow voters in Ruskin to vote down a comp plan change intended for Carollwood to build a new fire station.
September 20th, 2007 at 11:53 am
The recent St Petersburg City Council election garnered a whopping total of 4,500 people that came out to vote. Now this plan expects the city/county to hold an expensive election every time someone needs a zoning change? This is one of the most politically naive things I’ve ever heard of. Will we have to stop in to vote on the way to work every day, or will we vote for 200 zoning changes at once every month?
September 20th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
James C: This Hometown Democracy issue is not about voting on zoning changes. It is about future growth for our county. The Comp Plan addresses patterns for growth that can be accomodated with existing infrastructure and planned infrastructure for the future. You know, roads,schools,water,sewer,etc. Someone has to pay for sprawl if it is not an orderly plan for growth. The Comp Plan is an orderly plan for growth that addresses the needs of the existing and planned infrastructure. The issue as I understand, seeks to eliminate sprawl and unplanned growth. Comp Plan amdendments at times, push the boundary where the possibility of sprawl and unplanned growth will occur if approved. Much of the amendments are driven by private interests and may not be good for the public purpose. Growth now is not paying for itself and I personally do not want to continue paying for growth that is not planned and orderly. Don’t confuse zoning and Comp Plan amendments.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:33 am
As Tommy & Wendy pointed out: if Hometown Democracy passes, citizens wouldn’t be voting on every little zoning change, only on changes to the Comprehensive Plan, which is supposed to be the community’s 20-year big-picture plan. It shouldn’t be amended constantly, willy nilly, just to benefit one campaign contributor here, and one well-connected VIP there.
Don’t be confused by the hysterical fear-mongering of the well-funded opposition campaign, with its nonsense about 200-item ballots. Let’s keep the debate focussed on the facts.
Each municipality creates their own plan and their own schedule of amending it. Hillsborough County’s Comprehensive Plan is amended twice a year. In recent cycles, we’ve had as few as 3 or 4 and as many as 8 to 12 proposed amendments, with the latest crop of 13 being an unusually high number for one semi-annual amendment cycle. The Planning Commission site shows 3 amendments for Temple Terrace in 2007.
Keep in mind: even if NO plan amendments were approved for the next 20 years, we already have enough density allowed in the plan to accommodate the projected population increase. So the business about “growth grinding to a halt” is just more scare tactics.
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
That’s just nonsense. I’d encourage everyone reading this to take a look at the number of comp plan changes made in florida last year: almost 11,000. You can find those numbers on the Department of Community Affairs website. DCA is certainly not the well-funded opposition mentioned above, but their numbers clearly indicate voters will face hundreds of amendments on their ballot it Hometown Democracy becomes law. Those are the “facts” mentioned in earlier posts.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:04 pm
DCA is not the well funded opposition. DCA is the state agency reviewing Comp Plans all over the state. As far as well funded opposition to Hometown Democracy, why don’t you check out Floridians For Smarter Growth (hah) and the group Save Our Constitution, both PAC’s well-funded by big business here in Florida. That is the opposition, and you can check them both out for contributions to their PAC’s at the Div of Elections website. This is the opposition. These are the folks who do not want regular citizens to interfere with the political process that serves their interests well. I see it as a public interest vs private interest issue.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Just wanted to add that Save Our Constitution PAC has not posted contributions or expenditures to the Div of Election campaign finance activity yet. There should be some activity listed for prior months to be posted in October. Check both of these committees out and you will get a very clear picture of the opposition. This is the truth, and draw your own conclusions but check the facts.
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:38 am
If HTD passed, no one would be voting on all the comp plan changes in the whole state. People would only vote on changes to their own comp plan, in their own municipality. Look at the actual numbers of amendments I cited which Hillsborough County has had in the last few years. That’s all we’d be voting on in the unincorporated area. Each city would only vote on their own comp plans, so Temple Terrace voters would have had only 3 amendments to vote on this year, so far.
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
well said Mariella. Puts the local voting issue in focus. I believe our Supervisor of Elections will be able to handle the ballot/voting on amendments. There are issues arising about initiatives to be voted on each election cycle, straw ballots, run-off elections, etc. Why would the approach for voting on Comp Plan amendments be any different than the above mentioned?
October 12th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
[...] known as Hometown Democracy is ridiculous, and should be voted down. Some folks say that too many local governments simply rubberstamp changes to growth plans, and the citizens in those localities don’t really want unchecked development. This proposed [...]
May 30th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Hometown democracy is born of the public’s frustration with governments that are controlled by special interests. It happens at all levels of government and so many people are really fed up. HDA would never have been conceived if local, regional and state governments had been doing their job of public service instead of bowing to the pressures of big money.
Lots of time to find all the information and put the puzzle together. Florida, development, taxes, properties, local government, budgets, public statements, facts and fictions, it all has to be reviewed and lots of it is out there on the web for someone who cares about what is real. Today Surfside, Florida has elected officials who talk green but who are beholden and controlled by the overdevelopment crowd, the special interests. The only green is the money going from public resources into private resources. Privatization?
Much information available on line. Surfside, once a successful and proud community, has nosed dived into an abyss of waste, mistakes, ridiculous rhetoric, blatantly false and simply crazy accusations against former officials, and the lowest form of local politics. The men in charge, now mayor Charles Burkett and his sidekick Howard Weinberg, have plunged the Town into the depths of government gutter.
The way it used to be was so different! Surfside, Florida emerged as a leading community in serving the public interest rather than special interests. Courageous, honest, and productive leadership was the hallmark of the Town of Surfside from 1992 - 2004. During that time, Mayor Paul Novack and the then serving Town Commission unanimously enact budget corrections and fiscally responsible policies and every year for 12 years the town operated under balanced, stable and efficient budgets, with production of increased levels of town services, and numerous capital projects undertaken and completed that upgraded the parks, playgrounds, streets, drainage system, business district, Veterans Park, Town Hall, and much more, all with no debt, no bonds, and with the building of significant town surplus funds to serve the town’s present and future. The town attracted a new Publix and many new restaurants and shops for the business district and made improvements and expansions to town parking facilities. Plans were made for a new town library and hi-tech information center to go on newly acquired property on the west side of Collins Avenue. The town was internationally recognized as a model community, and in 2003 Novack was honored as the state-wide “Community Steward of the Year” in Tallahassee.
Paul Novack received the Community Steward Award for his steadfast advocacy for effective growth management in Surfside. In 1992, Surfside residents overwhelmingly supported a referendum to prevent a twenty-story beachfront condominium. For more than a decade after then, Novack has served as mayor of this small Dade County community for the grand fee of one dollar per year. Throughout his tenure, Novack and the town’s commissioners have consistently denied any requests for height and density variances, maintaining heights at twelve stories east of Collins Avenue, and five stories to the west. Nominators wrote that, thanks to Mayor Novack, “the town’s zoning code has been consistently, fairly and effectively enforced.” Besides that, Novack has maintained a balanced budget without raising property taxes, there is a one-minute emergency police response time, and garbage is picked up six days a week for a nominal fee. During the selection process, 1000 Friends was impressed with Mayor Novack’s steadfast determination to uphold the planning and development standards needed to maintain Surfside’s distinctive character and scale, noted Pattison. “With his dynamic leadership abilities, commitment to sound planning, and concern for the residents of Surfside, Mayor Novack exemplifies the qualities of a true community steward.”
Mayor Novack was elected by the voters six times to serve as mayor, not one variance for height or density or setbacks or uses were ever approved during his tenure, and he retired from office in 2004 with official tributes from the Florida House of Representatives, the Governor of Florida, Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and an official entry into the United States Congressional Record, and honors and thanks from many others from throughout the world.
Today in 2008 the town faces huge operational deficits, potential major debt, stagnation, failed promises, and higher taxes, and overdevelopment. New Town officials have now thrown their weight behind opening up the zoning code for commercial development. Green? $$$$$$$ against quality of life. The most hypocrital example of promising people one thing then pushing hard for changes in the opposite direction. Now Surfside has nose dived into the pits of politics because of the disgraceful malfeasance of Charles Burkett, Marc Imberman, Howard Weinberg, and Steve Levine? Did their avarice for attention divert them from being publicly honest or even honest to themselves?
Public records and internet resources still show the facts and they are instructive for other communities and all of Florida.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Found alot on line yes it smells. Isnt Florida going to investigate Surfside for selling its zoning ordinances out and for handing out its savings moneys and for lying to absolutely everyone from their microphones at town hall in 2008?
August 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Check out Hometown Democracy’s Web site. Surfside is the only Florida city to endorse Florida Hometown Democracy - the one and only municipality to support voting on all changes. Weird.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Surfside USED to have officials who served the public and yes they did endorse FHD. Now however Surfside has a bunch devoted to greed and self service, they are tearing up and into the zoning code, and they make a mockery out of the comp plan process, they could not care less, today its all about money money money and overdevelopment.
August 12th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
The Florida Dept of Community Affairs is somehow missing what is going on there in Surfside. Increasing density in a coastal evacuation zone, against public policy and against everything FDCA stands for. Surfside is setting the example for the extreme slimy place to enrich developers and ruin paradise.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Surfside Florida 2008 - 2009, disaster strikes Surfside Florida resulting from corrupt, incompetent, wasteful, awful town government decisions and policies. The last few years with these town officials from 2006 to now has dug a huge horrible hole. Debt, bond issues, squandered savings, hidden money flows, paying town officials contrary to town charter, its a sink hole already.
In addition to a huge bond debt these crazies in town hall just put on the taxpayers back a lead straw of multiple facets:
Property taxes up 11% for 2009
Sewer bills up 37% for 2009
Water bills up 41% for 2009
Garbage bills up 59% for 2009
Stormwater bills up 114% for 2009
And they demolished a historic, beautiful, functional community center.
Disaster at the local level produced by the worse local government in America. That is the product of Charles Burkett, Howard Weinberg, Marc Imberman, Steve Levine, and Elizabeth Calderon. If they all resigned immediately it would not be soon enough. If there was only a 911 to save us from these cretins.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
“Keep in mind: even if NO plan amendments were approved for the next 20 years, we already have enough density allowed in the plan to accommodate the projected population increase. So the business about “growth grinding to a halt” is just more scare tactics.”
Well said.