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> Home > Our Priority Issues > The Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment The Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment
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June 11, 2008 -- Hometown Democracy files suit against the state of Florida -- asks federal court to direct state to place the Hometown Democracy Amendment on the 2008 ballot. Learn more > February 2, 2008 -- The State of Florida Division of Elections states that the Florida Hometown Democracy (FHD) Amendment has not qualified for the 2008 ballot. More than 814,000 total petitions were submitted as of January 31, and the FHD organization has determined that many thousands of them were not reviewed in a timely fashion and are not included in the State’s totals. (611,009 valid petitions are required to make the ballot). The FHD organization is confident that once all petitions submitted are reviewed and counted, the amendment will qualify for this November's ballot. View a PDF with the latest information (April 10, 2008). How many times in the past years have you driven by a forest cut to the ground for new homes, seen a waterway polluted by sediment and run-off, been stuck in traffic gridlock, seen neighborhoods turned into strip shopping centers. Do you wonder what happened to the deer, otters, birds that used to live in the woods near your home? Is the only green space around you filled with For Sale signs? Do you ask yourself why your taxes are so high; your schools are so overcrowded when our leaders pronounce that growth is good for our state? You are not alone in asking questions with few answers. The statistics on Florida's growth woes are frightening. Citizens everywhere in the state are asking questions about how much they are expected to endure in their community. Where is the planning to control growth and protect the environment? Florida state law requires that each county have a Comprehensive Plan - a plan for a county's growth that will ensure adequate roads, schools, and provide conservation of the environment and natural resources. While these plans are in place, they have a loophole large enough to put an entire new city of homes into - often several thousand homes in one vote. In our fair cities and counties, lawmakers are giving in to developers' whims by simply amending the Comprehensive Plan at every turn - often more than one hundred times in one month! - rendering the plan completely ineffective and meaningless. But we have the power to change this unchecked, unreasoned growth. It's all included in the Hometown Democracy Amendment - a chance for all the citizens of a community to vote when a change to the Comprehensive Plan is proposed. Changes to the comprehensive plan of our county would be done in an orderly way. Planners would review the proposed changes, elected councilmen would have a chance to comment and hold hearings but in the end the voters would approve or deny the changes. Rivals say it would be cumbersome. Obviously, with time, as the population of Florida changes, the Plan will need to be changed. But there's already a provision for that in the Florida state law. The Plan is reviewed and amended every 10 years. The only reason to not support the Hometown Democracy Amendment is if you like seeing unchecked urban sprawl; if you like to sit in traffic on a road that wasn't built for the proper capacity in time; if you enjoy seeing wildlife suffer because there isn't any place else for them to go. The deadline to turn in signed petitions was January 31, 2008. Please keep an eye on this issue -- if it does make the ballot, we're in for a big fight. Featured Articles
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August 12, 2008 -- Federal Judge Kenneth Marra ruled late Tuesday that the venue for the Hometown Democracy lawsuit will be transferred from West Palm Beach to the federal court in Tallahassee, a move that slows down the litigation process.