Government Gone Wild Brought On Amendment 4

Government gone wild, a widely popular, and rather quaint, political battle cry against the past decade of rampant spending by elected officials of Hernando County, namely those on the Board of County Commissioners, seems to have lost the oomph it once engendered, which some may view as a triumphant accomplishment of the person who brought the phrase to our local domain.

It’s important to keep in mind that, regardless the eventual outcome of the past couple of years that has brought spending under control through significant reorganizations in every conceivable county department, what has transpired in reducing government waste was already undoubtedly destined to materialize. All across this land of good and plenty, the wealth of all levels of government – state, county and city – have had no choice but to cut to the bone to achieve ‘balanced budgets’.

Of course, the exception to that rule of getting spending under control is the continued deficit spending of the federal government, a compulsory result of which is directly attributed to the good old years of money squandering by the previous administration. Unfortunately, the effects of the housing meltdown and the generous bailouts afforded to the too-large financial institutions have created the worst case scenario of trickle-down economic ruin for the middle class.

Therefore, the relevance of the ‘government gone wild’ reveille appears to be passé. Not so. There’s a bigger beast in the county that has supported, and successfully achieved, what will have a greater long-term effect on Hernando County than the current lack of tax revenues to meet the needs of its residents.

The beasts of burden are land developers. Hernando County Board of Commissioners has a proven track record of accommodating the colonization of large scale subdivisions way beyond anyone’s imagination.

Think back for a moment to the land use hearing for Sierra Property’s Hickory Hill super-duper development project. On that date there are three visions that are imbedded in my memory. In reverse order of occurrence, there was ‘cry baby’ Diane Rowden whose emotional outburst came as an immediate reaction to what was an out-of-the-blue camaraderie between then-Commissioner Chris Kingsley and a local resident who was on the right-side of the Hill debate. It was so surreal that no words can describe that moment of revelation, but voila! – The reality of the eventual vote of approval was gallantly revealed.

The most sadly momentous occasion was a comment made by a resident of a nearby plot of land whose owner, a farmer, dressed in his work clothes, expressed the grave concerns of the eventual effects on irrigating his land. Already having to drill a new well for the third time, he was well out of sorts at the prospects of facing further challenges of being successful in his own privately owned business. Droughts occur naturally; sucking the water out of the ground to quench the thirst of newly built homes in mega subdivisions results from careless planning. I imagine this farmer continues to lament, “What will I do when the well runs dry? I’m gonna sit right down and cry.”

Government continued to go wild with subsequent approval of even larger subdivisions: Sunrise and Like Hideaway development projects. Each of these hearings took place from April 26, 2007, through this past Tuesday, August 31, when the Board, minus the inconsequential nay vote from Commissioner Dave Russell, gave the go-ahead for the megalopolis called Quarry Preserve.

These comprehensive plan changes by the BOCC began during the height of the housing meltdown. As laid out by Hernando Times Dan DeWitt’s recent column ‘What Hernando County doesn’t need is Quarry Preserve’, there was an inventory of more than 4,000 in 2007 and the current figure of 2,534 homes currently on the market doesn’t take into account the number of residents who have given up. More foreclosures and walk-aways are sure to continue.

These figures don’t take into account the yet to be built homes in Southern Hills and Hernando Oaks. Mr. DeWitt stated that both of these subdivisions were approved for nearly 1,000 homes and that the number of vacant lots is “82 in Southern Hills” and “288 in Hernando Oaks”.

An editorial in the St. Petersburg Times of April 9, 2006, cautioned, “Hickory Hill is an impressive project. But it also will make an irrevocable impression on Hernando County’s landscape.” But, with the ever-present testimonies of attorney Jake Varn and the oh-so-agreeable assessments of Fishkind & Associates, the BOCC and land developers pay allegiance to their collective successes. Yes, yes, yes… government has gone wild in a context quite different from what the originator of the phrase intended.

With the approval of Quarry Preserve this past Tuesday, the BOCC kept a-galloping along a well-beaten path on its wild ride of unbridled growth.
The reason for the rash of approvals of new subdivisions is Amendment 4, which would give the residents of a community the necessary knowledge about what the future may hold in their surroundings, taking into account the impact such developments will have on the value of their homes, their property taxes, their neighborhoods, their traffic routes, their environments, and at what expense the impact of these new homes will have on them personally.

Amendment 4 would make sure people are aware of what goes on in their local communities. The vast majority of people do not read newspapers. Even for those who do, public notices printed in weekly editions are not very noticeable. The majority of people do not have the time to attend public hearings. Unless they’re retired. Otherwise, hopefully, they’re working, or at least looking for work, or working odd jobs. Ignorance of the populous benefits those in power.

The editorial staff of the St. Pete Times recently wrote of Amendment 4, “The amendment could create chaos in local planning, stifle growth, result in multiple expensive referendums and vastly increase local government legal fees.” But, more importantly, the paper admitted, “The public's deep distrust of government helped fuel Amendment 4, the so-called ‘Hometown Democracy’ initiative on the November ballot.”

Take into account a recent comment by Robert Widmar in a Hernando Today Feedback column. He wrote, “… currently residents elect officials who hire professionals to review and recommend change.” Residents/voters do not trust the decisions of their elected officials or the professionals who tend coddle to those who pay them their fees. I repeat – ignorance of the people is blissfully sanctioned by decision-makers in government positions.

Of approved subdivisions, the sum of dwelling units to be built in Sunrise and Lake Hideaway subdivisions will total 8,500 new dwelling units. The completion date of each is 2013. Assuming two people per unit, the county’s population will grow 17,000 or more three years from now.

Quarry Preserve will complete 6,000 dwellings by 2019 – 12,000 additional residents. Take a trip to The Villages in Sumter County and take a look at the sites of 10,255 households. It’ll give the viewer a first-hand glance at what the future holds for Hernando County.

On a smaller scale, Hickory Hill will provide homes for 3,600 new residents by 2021. That’s a grandioso total population growth of 26,600 in little more than a decade, a whopping 15% increase. This data can be viewed at http://www.wrpc.cc/developmentsofregionalimpact.asp

The bottom line here, folks, is that ‘government gone wild’ is still applicable. The result of years of approving new housing subdivisions out of proportion to the foreseeable needs in this and other counties in Florida is Amendment 4.

This Amendment's 4 You

Hot topic: Referenda Required For Adoption And Amendment of Local Government Comprehensive Land Use Plans

Better known as Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4, this referendum will likely prove to be more of a contentious measure than Amendments 5/6 – Congressional/Legislative districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. These creatures were set in motion in an attempt to force elected government officials to put aside bureaucratic indulgence through a manipulative redistricting process that serves no purpose but to benefit the in-power political party; a topic for future consideration.

Local debate on Amendment 4 has, as yet, been relatively mild. On August 6, 2009, George Niemann, regional coordinator of Florida Hometown Democracy, wrote a Guest Column ‘The truth about Florida Hometown Democracy’. The most notable passage was:

“Rezoning, as well as the ability to develop land within existing land use criteria, will remain unaffected and will not require voter approval. The vast majority of land use would remain unaffected because changes to the growth plan are not needed to develop land. If no further changes were made to local comprehensive plans across Florida the current planned land use provisions could still accommodate the addition of 70 million people.

“Changes to the growth plan would still be processed, reviewed and decided on by the local governing bodies (an elected county commission, as an example), as they are today. FHD adds just one more step to the current process — voters must concur before the change can be officially adopted.”

Jumping forward to a June 30 article by Michael D. Bates, ‘Amendment would empower people on land use issues’ stated “Supporters of Amendment 4 say they are only asking for a ‘seat at the table’ when it comes to planning their community.”

Both the Guest Column by Mr. Niemann and the article written by Mr. Bates immediately drew backfire from Planning & Zoning Commissioner Bob Widmar whose Guest Column on August 8, 2009, ‘Amendment 4: A vision by special interests to stop planned growth’ and Letter to the Editor on July 7, ‘We do have a seat at the table’, advised readers there are processes already in place for concerned residents to “have input into the comprehensive plan and changes to the plan.”

In both instances, Mr. Widmar explained that citizen input begins with the every seven year Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) meeting, “which over several months review the entire Comprehensive Plan to bring it into line with legislation and other factors that have occurred during the period.” Mr. Widmar invites residents to attend the upcoming EAR meeting in September.

Subsequent opportunities for citizens to express their views are through attendance at monthly hearings held by the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. Thereafter, judgment lays with the Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee with “a report containing Objections, Recommendations, and Comments (the ORC report) on the proposed change. Until these three items have been reviewed and addressed to the satisfaction of the DCA, the proposed change is not accepted. The public does again has an opportunity to address the DCA”, after which “…the BOCC can finally put the stamp of approval on the plan change, again at a public meeting.”

Mr. Widmar expressed dismay that for the most part public participation in the process remains near non-existent.

Mr. Bates’ June 30 article included many disconcerting comments on the possible passage of Amendment 4, all voiced by governmental/political pitchmen.

County Commissioner David Russell: “I’m afraid that the public will be swayed one way or another by advertising campaigns on either side of the issue rather than based on pertinent data relating to the amendment.” It’ll be interesting to see to what extent either side resorts to ‘the nasties’.

The Hernando County Republican Executive Committee: “Hometown Democracy will prevent and negate responsible planning decisions by county engineers and county planners and turn the process over to a political campaign.” Out of necessity, politicking demands that voters be aware, especially during periods of time between Election Days.

HCREC Chairman Blaise Ingoglia: “The electorate is not going to have access to all the records that county engineers and planners will have. Plus, we’ve elected commissioners for a reason.” Do not deny residents the rights of transparency.

Hernando County Planning Director Ron Pianta: “It could also encourage aggressive public relations and media campaigns by special interests who either support or pose proposed changes to the comprehensive plan.”

Speaking of ‘special interests’, there are many to be found among the influences of government officials and the many facets of the construction and land development business communities. These power brokers relish their dominions of prestige. There is just cause for their worries. Amendment 4 would lessen their omnipotence.

According to data from the Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research, there are over 7,000 vacant housing units in Hernando County. According to RealtyTrac, in May of this year, 1 in every 157 housing units received a foreclosure filing; in the seven-county Tampa Bay metro area, Hernando County ranks #1 in foreclosure property statistics.

Still, a number of approved housing developments have yet to begin groundbreaking. Hickory Hill – 1,750 single-family dwelling units by 2021. Lake Hideaway – 2,400 single-family dwelling units and 1,300 multi-family units by 2013. Sunrise – 4,200 single-family dwelling units and 600 multi-family dwelling units by 2013. Each of these subdivisions was approved in 2007 and 2008, most surely in anticipation that the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment might have appeared on the 2008 General Election Ballot.

Although the total sum of over 10,000 approved ‘dwelling units’ have yet to be built and even though there are hundreds of vacant homes from foreclosure and hundreds more vacant lots in blighted housing developments (such as Southern Hills Plantation), another development group, Powell Road Partners LLC is seeking approval of building 252 apartment units and 12 five-acre estate homes.

On July 12, P&Z gave the project a stamp of approval for rezoning the 80-acre tract from agriculture to a planned development project. (Although not yet named, perhaps 'Hernando Hometown Estates' would be suggestive of community-mindfulness.) On August 10, the BOCC will give further consideration to the planned development.

What might be expected? Perhaps a 3-2 decision from the BOCC, the same marginal vote on the approval of Quarry Preserve which would add 2,000 single-family dwellings, 200 resort lodging units, 444 town home and 756 apartments? Quarry Preserve is doubtful to come to fruition considering the DCA deemed it ‘urban sprawl’, an evaluation not easily overcome.

The Powell Road Partners project would be small potatoes in comparison, so the go-ahead is extremely likely. The 3-yes vote would come from the commissioners not up for re-election in the upcoming November elections; a 4th ‘yes’ might easily be Russell-ed up since there is no opposing candidate, thus not a concern about voter opinion of Amendment 4.

For these many reasons – 10,000 homes yet to be built, including 7,000 by 2013 which in itself is an unrealistic completion date – Amendment 4 should be a rally cry for tea party folks. Why? Because American citizens are solidly disgruntled and distrustful of governmental conduct at all levels. Poor decisions, poor planning and poor representation of ‘we the people’ has proven that government has indeed gone wild, and continues to do so, in supporting the same superfluous demagogues that helped bring this country to near economic ruin with lost jobs, lost investments, lost home values, home foreclosures, etc. New housing developments will not resolve these issues; they will worsen existing homeowners’ property values.

As to public ‘disinterest’ in attending government hearings on comprehensive land use changes on developments of regional impact, the perception is misplaced. Few resident citizens are aware of what goes on outside their immediate area; word of mouth travels short distances. Time and again, when I mention Hickory Hill, Sunrise and/or Like Hideaway, people are unaware and aghast at how elected government officials continue to play patsy to the interests of developers.

Amendment 4 will allow all residents of any given community the wherewithal to become aware of what impact future growth decisions will have on water supplies, the environment, existing home values and infrastructure, while being mindful of the increased dangers of sink holes.

The Florida Hometown Democracy Land Use Amendment 4 will give Florida residents a much needed means to reign in uncontrolled growth in their communities. Take a front row seat and enjoy the view.