Save Growth Management in FL Now! By Laura Reynolds

Call today - April 7, 2011

Dear Smart Growth/Conservation Advocate:
As you know, Florida's growth management process is in for the fight of its life.  We firmly believe that the only thing that can make a difference this 2011 session is a major public outcry over efforts to dismantle growth management in Florida. The Tropical Audubon Society is reaching out to smart growth and conservation organizations across the state and asking for help. Click here for action steps at a glance.


We are asking our friends to commit to undertake a number of actions to help save growth management:

1.    Commit to arrange for at least five letters to the editor to your local paper in support of growth management.In partnership with the state's leading conservation groups we are planning a press conference for Wednesday, April 6.  We hope you will ask some of your members to write letters to the editor supporting growth management over the week following April 6.  These letters do not need to be loaded with facts, but rather "from the heart" pieces that talk about how important it is to manage growth to protect our quality of life, drinking water, and citizen rights to participate in planning.
 
2.   Send out an email blast to your members asking them to call their Representative and Senator in support of growth management.  We will send you an email alert that you can forward to your members, or we can assist you with crafting a message of your own.  If you have other groups in your email system, please ask them to forward the message to their members as well.  We need all the calls we can get.
 
3.   If you are on Facebook, share the message with your Facebook friends, asking them to call their legislators.  Also, please "like" The Tropical Audubon Society on Facebook and we will keep you posted on a regular basis.
 
4.   If you're not on Facebook, consider signing up for The Tropical Audubon Society's email alerts.  You can sign up at www.tropicalaudubon.org.
 
5.   Consider writing an op ed for your local paper on behalf of growth management. Specific examples about how growth management and citizen participation have made a difference in your community would be best.Conclude your piece by asking readers to contact their State Representative and Senator to oppose damaging proposals and support effective growth management.  Again, we can provide assistance with developing op eds if you wish.

Please contact the Tropical Audubon Society Executive Director Laura Reynolds at director@tropicalaudubon.org with any questions or requests for assistance.

We really need your support at this critical time.  If you have suggestions on other steps we can take in support of growth management, we hope you will share them with us.