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The Republicrat parties are firmly in control and will see to it that growth, development and sprawl are protected. Their campaign contributions from all the developers, builders, realtors, etc. must be repaid.
The darkly humorous flip side is that in a state suffering in the second year of a drought, with no end in sight, the wise thing for the state government to do would be to freeze ALL extensions of urban services until long-term water plans were solidified. Instead, they help counties to aggravate the problem.
7:13:20 a.m. on May 13, 2007
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It would be downright depressing to read this paper with the polluted Lagoon stories, the HIV/AIDs as well as the gang problems in St. Lucie County, the fight over annexing land to the water restrictions along the Treasure Coast among others, if not for knowing someone at the Press Journal will, and does write about the injustices done to us by the growth machine.
The growth machine is truly like a wicked cancer and I'm not the only one who looks at it that way.
"Growth only for the sake of more growth is the strategy of a cancer cell." quote by biologist Edward O. Wilson.
Our elected officials and the developers who love them, don't care if what they allow ends up killing us, as long as they get what they want today.
I'm sure Mr. Poppell knew what he was doing by inserting that amendment and I suppose the reward he'll get from it will be more than enough to compensate from any lack of sleep he should be losing by screwing the rest of his constituents.
It seems outrageous that we actually have to have a constitutional amendment to be able to have a say in how we want our communities to be.
So if that's the way it is, why do we even need them?
Here's an easy link to the Hometown Democracy website. It's easy to print, and easy to fill out and mail. Make a couple extra to pass around. We need you more than ever- please do it.
http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/
9:22:44 a.m. on May 13, 2007
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Developers stink,and so do both parties.
10:12:22 a.m. on May 13, 2007
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Let's hope they are able to convince Piper Jet to manufacture here.
Because right now, EVERYTHING in Florida feeds at the growth trough.
The sole proprietorships and stripmall businesses all thrive on growth.
But don't want to pay for it! 
And since we now know that growth, population growth, does NOT pay for itself...............
Gotta wake up folks. There isn't a community out there that you can't control for YOUR benefit, as the developers do now, if you just organize and fight to be heard over the developer/special interest's roar of money!
YOU have the choice and duty to vote for people who will represent you. Find them and support them with whatever time/money/effort you can afford.
11:36:14 a.m. on May 13, 2007
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That's right. Keep blaming the big bad "moneyed developers" for the lack of our ability to elect responsible leaders with the courage to actually plan for our growth, rather than blame their/our lack of leadership and the "not in my backyard" mentality on everything and everyone but ourselves.
Florida Hometown Democracy, charter government and the rest of the Monday morning quarterbacks and day traders are all about the revocation of our responsibility in the electoral form of government that serves us well when we choose to follow the principles upon which the system is founded.
The only grease job going down around here these days is having you believe that developers are to blame for our own incompetence and that Kenric Ward somehow has the inside track on any solution to this problem!
Peter W. Jones, AIA
2:37:56 p.m. on May 13, 2007
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Jones is living proof: It's impossible to get a man to understand something if his paycheck depends on him NOT understanding it.
3:46:18 p.m. on May 13, 2007
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PS: For the uninitiated, AIA Jones is an architect.
3:48:59 p.m. on May 13, 2007
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Mr. Jones,
Are you saying that developers aren't the ones who go for the highest density they can get and that it's actually our elected officials poor planning that is to blame?
Hmm.
I realize things are getting nearly built out over on beachside but I don't think the development their planning for Fellsmere will be the kind that employs an architect.
As I've mentioned the other day, their looking to build shoeboxes on postage stamp sized lots.
Can you actually tell me you wouldn't be unhappy if there was the possibility of trailer park size lots going in your backyard? So why shouldn't we be unhappy about it going in ours?
If you want work, you should be advocating for less density.
After all, if someone can afford to lay out a little extra for a beautiful lot, chances are good they'll be able to afford to hire an architect to build a beautiful or at least, a unique home on it.
You know what bugs me about the growth machine? It's that the constant cry for it never ends.
I've lived here nearly 15 years and people were singing the same song all that time. We need growth.
Yet in that time, I've seen numerous new Publixes, Two Home Depots, The IR Mall, Lowes and the entire strip mall from Target to the mall. The Walmart and Sams club, too many other strip malls to keep track, Many chain restaurants, Walgreens and on and on not to mention, sub division after subdivision and almost every available lot beachside.
As I've said before, I could fill a book on all the growth and yet the growth machine still wants more.
Where does it end? When we're wall to wall and there is nothing left?
And what have we gained? Taxes aren't any cheaper. Salaries aren't any higher or if they are, their just barely keeping up with the cost of living.
Our problems aren't getting any better. How long before IRC faces the gang and AIDs problems that St. Lucie County is facing?
How about the Indian River Lagoon? Look at the shape of that. Did that improve with all this growth? Will more growth help it?
Has traffic gotten any better? From lack of planning or from too many cars?
Our schools. Have they improved over the last 15 years?
8:42:50 p.m. on May 13, 2007
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Kenric, yet another thoughtful and relevant article. Leanna, you're on fire, girl!
10:29:00 p.m. on May 13, 2007
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Kelly, Leanna, and all you others who write on these topics regularly. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!
Unless you are an avid new urbanist like those folks from FAU who keep telling us we have to increase densities inside our urban service boundaries in order to have functional communities, FHD may cause you more misery that relief.
First, it won
�t stop growth. Even if no amendments are approved, the rural parts of Indian River County will build out in ranchettes � think the acreage, Jupiter Farms, etc. This will drain the area by lowering the water table and destroy all viable habitat while putting more traffic on the roads.
But the worst effects will be felt inside the urban areas, as older neighborhoods are redeveloped at the highest density allowed under the plans, destroying all the quaint older and affordable housing. In the mean time, infill will maximize land uses, until the current urban area will be home to 2 or 3 times as many people. In Martin County, it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of new people could move in without a Plan change. Cramming that much new growth inside the urban area will make our existing communities unrecognizable.
And the more scarce land gets, the more money development interests will be willing to spend on winning referendums. As a worst case scenario, they could even get the legislature to scrap the Comp Plan act all together which could render FHD an empty shell. Or, if slow growth creates economic hardship to some voters, they will vote their pocketbooks and you will get growth anyway.
So, maybe you ought to be thinking about ways to actually stop growth rather than putting all your eggs in the FHD basket.
10:43:04 a.m. on May 14, 2007
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