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.

Department of Community Affairs is Threatened

Today in the Miami Herald it was reported by Craig Pittman that Governor Rick Scott wants to curtail the State Growth Management agency, merging it with the Department of Environmental Protection, reducing its budget and eliminating much of their staff.

The UEL has long supported the Department of Community of Affairs and would be against any of these moves that negatively effect growth management in the State. The UEL wrote a white paper on the DCA years ago, stating that regulation should be even stricter in some areas as there is little means for enforcement in the department.

Community Input Needed By the County October 20th!

Every 7 years the county reviews/updates its Comprehensive Development Plan for State approval. This is called the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR). The Board of County Commissioners will hold their public hearing on the EAR on October 20, 2010 at 9:30 AM in the Commission Chambers. Please take an interest and review the document so that you can tell the Commissioners what you think is important to emphasize. Don't complain later.

The EAR 2010 website is now updated to reflect the Planning Advisory Board (PAB) resolution with recommendations, dated August 10, 2010. Recommended changes to the text of the Draft 2010 EAR adopted by the PAB (acting as the Local Planning Agency) on August 10, 2010 are shown in red and strikethrough for deletions and underlining for additions in Chapters 1, 2, and 4. Also posted is the PowerPoint presentation from the August 2, 2010 PAB public hearing, an Errata document dated August 16, 2010, and replacement pages for the Conservation, Aquifer Recharge & Drainage Element Objective CON-2 and for the Port of Miami Master Plan Subelement. These documents are available on the EAR website.

For information about the EAR, the schedule of activities or the EAR process, please contact the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning, Metropolitan Planning Section at 111 NW 1st Street, Suite 1220, Miami, Florida 33128-1972; or call (305) 375-2835.

Is the public process gone in Tallahassee?

Senate Bill 6, 'The Teachers Bill', was rammed through the legislature with little input from the public even though it would create massive changes in our State.

The Urban Environment League supports the public's participation in their government. Had the public been a part of the process, the bill could have been amended to work for all. Instead it has become a divisive issue.

The sunset of the Department of Community Affairs is an issue in the legislature that the UEL is watching. We believe the DCA performs an important function to protect and revitalize neighborhoods, prevent sprawl and foster sound planning practices. Our members have long supported the State Agency in charge of smart growth and Comprehensive Master Plan Development and we would not be in favor the 'sunset' of the DCA. We have been impressed with the current Secretary, Tom Pelham, who says:

The Department ensures that new growth complies with the state's vital growth management laws, while also helping established communities revitalize their older or traditional neighborhoods.

Hear an NPR radio broadcast/interview with Tom Pelham as guest, from 2008.

There is no stopping committed citizens!

This is a news report from the St. Pete Times of two women who persevered and used the system to their advantage. It shows that citizens in Florida can make a difference! Their efforts stopped an 800 home development in Marion County and yesterday Governor Crist and the Florida Cabinet agreed with the women: There was no need for the development in Marion County.

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