Four or Against By Vicki Jackson An informative Florida Hometown Democracy (FHTD) Amendment 4 Debate on May 5th was hosted by the Sand Key Civic Association, and moderated by Association President Jerry Koenig. Unlike a recent 'meeting', jointly sponsored by the Chambers of Commerce of Greater Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, this was a real debate. About the same number of people were in attendance, but this time they got to hear two points of view on the referendum. The official ballot summary: "Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice." The format for the debate held at the Sand Key Community Sailing Center allowed each speaker an introductory presentation followed by a rebuttal from the opposition. Thereafter, questions drawn from previous submissions by board members and the general public were answered in turn. Stephanie Oddo, the young Commissioner of Belleair, defined herself as "a stay-at-home mom" and said her motivation for opposition to the proposed Amendment 4 stemmed from "quality of life" concerns. Ms. Oddo stated, "This will deal with density and height and general values of the community. Sand Key already has a comprehensive plan," she added, and approval of FHTD "would affect small businesses" negatively and result in more going out of business. Reference was made to the situation in St. Pete Beach, where voters had "voted on a comprehensive land use plan" and they "went back and changed it." She claimed, "Almost every newspaper is against the Amendment." While passing around, as an example, a large book of "City of Belleair Ear-based Amendments," she forecast numerous changes and hundreds of amendments that would have to be voted on, in "costly elections," if FHTD were implemented. She feared this would provide greater opportunities for "special interests to come in." She maintained, "Voters do not vote the bottom of the ballot" (where such amendments would appear) and spoke of the difficulty in understanding "ballot language." She wants citizens "to get involved with government and get educated that way," and suggested an alternate system, whereby all notices would be mailed to voters to keep them informed. Speaking in favor of the Amendment was Dan Lobeck, of the Sarasota law firm, Lobeck & Hanson. He routinely represents condominiums and homeowner's associations and has a reputation for being 'a developer's worst nightmare'. He claimed, "Developers and their politicians are scared to death of this Amendment. It will empower the people to have a say in their destiny. They will still have the ability to persuade the City Council to vote 'no', but if they lose (to developers) there will be more opportunity to get a majority of voters to say 'no'." He alluded to a general feeling throughout Florida regarding the influence of developer's dollars promoting unfair growth, and predicted they will saturate the media with disinformation prior to the election. Though St. Pete Beach is often cited as a negative example of FHTD, Mr. Lobeck called it "a good example", that expenses were incurred due to litigation brought by developers. He denied that FHTD would place any undue burden on local government, as a referendum would be required only after it had been though the process with the City Council. Generally, it would not necessitate a special election, as it could be included in a regular election. And while he acknowledged a "voter drop-off" issue, he was confident that "people who choose to vote, care enough, are well-researched and smart." Others voicing opposition to Amendment 4, echo Ms. Oddo's remarks. They project additional burdens for already confused voters, and enabling greater influence by well-funded special interest groups, as well as delayed development. Those in favor of the Amendment are not concerned about less 'overdevelopment' and say the process will be business as usual, except that if a land-use change is approved by local commissions, it would then have to be decided by the voters in the next election. Though the issue is complicated, interested voters still have plenty of time to do their homework and check out some resources, such as www.florida2010.org and www.floridahometowndemocracy.com, before November 2nd, when they must choose the direction for their community.

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