Coral Gables Watch

Constitutional Amendment No. 4: Collins Center for Public Policy

AT A GLANCE: AMENDMENT 4

Sponsor/Originator: Florida Hometown Democracy

Title on Ballot: Referenda required for adoption and

amendment of local government comprehensive land

use plans.

Official 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.

What it would do: Amendment 4 would give local

voters a veto over changes in comprehensive plans.

Arguments for: Local governments have proven

themselves incapable of placing the public interest

before the interests of real estate developers. Let the

people vote on the proposed changes.

Arguments against: The amendment would require

votes on every change, no matter how minor.

Ballots would be long and involved. Voters would be

overwhelmed. Growth would grind to a halt, and the

state’s economy would remain mired in recession

Another Vote For Amendment 8

Another vote for amendment 8.  It seems reasonable not to run a school system based on very rigid formulas.

The 2002 class-size amendment basically mandated that elementary schools have a cap of 18 students per class, middle school 22, and high school 25. Amendment 8 would keep those caps as averages, giving districts leeway. And there would still be caps of 21, 27, and 30 respectively.

And it will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The group Florida TaxWatch estimates it will save at least $350 million a year. Newspaper reports have put the savings at $7 billion over the next ten years.

This is a no-brainer. Vote for Amendment 8.

via Broward Palm Beach – Broward Palm Beach News – The Daily Pulp: Bob Norman’s Blog.