In Venice:

“Three slow-growth candidates made history in Venice on Tuesday, upsetting the city’s balance of power and continuing a growth backlash that is sweeping the region. The overwhelming election of Sue Lang, Ed Martin and Ernie Zavodnyik over three well-connected incumbents turned Venice’s power structure on its head, and proved that growth continues to be a powerful political issue in Southwest Florida. The challengers, who worked together as a team, won by a resounding margin … Turnout after a hotly contested campaign was heavy, at 52 percent, up from 25 percent in 2005 … The election marks a new era in Venice politics after years of dominance by a group of high-powered, well-funded local business leaders who backed the incumbents. With a near majority on the seven-member council, the challengers could have wide-ranging influence. … The three winners were endorsed by the Sierra Club and each said Tuesday that environmental issues ranging from alternative energy to water pollution are high on their list of priorities.”

From the Herald Tribune:

“Ignoring strong lobbying from the business community, voters in the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County overwhelmingly approved supermajority measures. The new requirements will make it more difficult for developers to build in many areas. The message was also unmistakable in Venice, where three City Council incumbents blamed by their challengers for the city’s rampant growth lost by landslide margins. … Voters in the city of Sarasota also backed a plan to limit campaign donations in City Commission races to $200 per person and to ban donations from businesses. In the past, developers have been able to exceed campaign donation limits by writing checks from multiple business holdings.
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It should not be a surprise that turnout drops when you move an election to a time when nothing else will draw people to vote. Gulfport doesn’t waste money like St. Pete so they are holding their election during the Presidential primary. Every other election they save a bundle and turnout will be much higher than in St. Pete. The years without a primary have the mayoral race to draw voters.

Our politicians also put the Penny for Pinellas tax vote at a time when they hoped few would vote. They won that one but this week the people won.

The plan was to use the newspaper, publicly funded Channel 35, and developers advertising money to push their candidates past a sleeping electorate. People saw through it this time.