Another nail in the coffin of local authority - local decisions on land use targeted

Florida State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff (District 25) has introduced an amendment to pending legislation that will gut local authority and rule making in regard to amending their development master plans.  There is nothing subtle about this amendment which is clear in its intent:

“A local government may not adopt or impose any supermajority voting requirement, by charter provision, ordinance, or otherwise, for the transmittal or adoption of amendments to the comprehensive plan.”

The Florida Senate will take up a bill called HB 4003, today, Monday, March 5th. If passed, the bill will terminate a state program intended to provide grants for the redevelopment of urban centers. The proposed amendment would strip all local municipalities in the state of Florida of their current ability to require a super majority vote in changing comprehensive land use plans. 

As reported both on Eye on Miami and in the Miami Herald, this is Tallahassee's reaction to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s declaration made at the State of the County Address that he will push to strengthen the urban development boundary by increasing the requirement for approval and transmittal of Comp Plan changes from 2/3 to 3/4 vote of the County Commission members.   

The effects of the this bill, if amended, and passed into law, will be that the Florida Legislature  will remove the ability of the County and all Florida municipalities to set rules to guard against urban sprawl on its western and southern fringes.

Review the Miami Herald article posted Sunday, March 4, 2012, Amendment to Florida bill could make it easier to move Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary

Read the environmentalists concerns: Bogdanoff: doing the bidding of the Great Destroyers, Eye on Miami, posted Sunday, March 4, 2012.  "Whether you live in Florida or not, please see below for a summary of how this bill will impact critical federal lands (you own them wherever you happen to live) and wildlife habitat in one of our planet’s most unique ecosystems - the Florida Everglades. Senator Bogdanoff’s legislation is meant to accomplish one goal - encourage more residential and commercial growth in still undeveloped areas of Florida including lands outside the Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary and adjacent to Biscayne and Everglades National Parks. Hopefully, asking Senator Bogdanoff to pull amendment #832626 - for the sake of the little which remains of natural Florida - will get the job done."