Florida Constitutional Amendment Threatens Building Industry
A petition drive is underway to put an amendment to the Florida constitution on the November ballot that would take land use decisions out of the hands of elected officials and put them in the hands of the electorate, effectively stopping growth. As proposed, the amendment requires voters to approve changes to local comprehensive plans, effectively stripping elected officials of their land planning abilities.

The amendment is being pushed by Florida Hometown Democracy, which counts the Sierra Club of Florida, Floridians for a Sustainable Population and Save Our Wetlands Coalition as its members.

Last year in Palm Beach County alone, there were 1,364 amendments to the general plan.  Multiply this by 67, the total number of counties in Florida, and Florida Hometown Democracy's strategy is readily apparent: to stop growth by playing on voter apathy and confusion.

As of early February, the coalition has collected more than 30,000 signatures out of the 50,000 signatures it needs to send the measure to the Florida Supreme Court for review.  After Supreme Court approval, the group will need to collect an additional 450,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. The coalition has hired a signature-gathering firm to help meet both thresholds.

The Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) is assuming the proposal will reach the ballot. Given the terrible precedent that would be set if the amendment passes, NAHB is working with FHBA on their aggressive campaign to defeat it. The state association has received a grant from the State and Local Issues Fund, and NAHB’s State and Local Political Operations team has been retained to help build a statewide grassroots coalition to defeat the measure if it reaches the ballot.

Hometown Democracy's efforts could gain national attention from democratic activist groups and be used as a tool for organizing and turning out the pro-environment vote in the presidential election.

For more information on efforts to defeat this potentially devastating amendment, contact NAHB’s Alastair Macaulay at 800-368-5242 x8584. [ return to top ]