'Coach' battles Hometown Democracy

Floridians for Smarter Growth today announced that former State Rep. Bob "Coach" Henriquez, D-Tampa, will lead the fight against the Hometown Democracy amendment as the group's chairperson for Hillsborough County.

"As a planner, I know that this amendment is simply an unworkable and expensive attempt by special interests to stop all growth, at all costs," Henriquez said in a statement. "Hometown Democracy undermines our representative form of government and turns our careful planning process into a political process."

Comments

even a football coach knows it's a bad idea!

Given what this legislature has done, the hometown democracy amendment should pass with overwhelming support. Why? Because it is clear the state legislature is inept and cannot put the brakes on spending, and we know the yocals who run local government will just approve, approve, approve...

Time to take back the purse strings, even if it is through repeated citizens' plebicites.

[Chris W]

If "Coach" is as effective working for the realtors and builders as he was working for the state Democratic Party, Hometown Democracy ought to pass with close to 80%.

[Tampa Temper]

Okay all you skinny guys. Knock it off; he's a good guy who knows a lot and has done great things for his community.

Quick show of hands: how many of you are sitting there blogging in your underwear?

The Coach is actually out there, doing something, you lazy louts. If you oppose him and support Hometown Democracy - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Or just sit there in your mom's basement, cruising porn, like always.

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2003-11-20/news/the-doctor-and-the-rabbits/
This tells you everything you need to know about who is supporting Hometown Democracy

[Omega83]

Good call by FSG for getting a Democrat to oppose the Hometown scam...shows how marginal the support among the hometown wackos really is. Coach is a top notch guy...Princeton ghrad and planner...good at the techie stuff. When a technocrat calls this out for a horrible idea, folks should listen.

I'm on the fence about Hometown Democracy but the very existence of FSG pushes me towards signing with HD.

FSG represents everything that's bad about our political system - by the Corporations, for the Corporations.

they keep regurgitating old dems up, especially when they can do the repubs bidding and no one can do anything about it as he is no longer in office. he's such a has been. and another tally skirt chaser.

[Arthur Hayhoe]

Since Bob Hendriquez indicates there might be a problem with the way growth is handled in Florida, what is his solution?

What problem? I know of no problem. If we can defeat HomeTown Democracy we can continue to over develope Florida the way we have in the past.

HomeTown Democracy gives every voter the right to approve or disapprove developers changes in the comp plan period!

The developers ballot initiatve called Smart Growth, supported by the coach, makes you collect 10% of the signatures in the city or county effected to get it on the ballot. Who would or could do that?

Developers interest were behind raising the passage rate from 50 to 60% in aticipation of HTD's passage. They then got the legislature to pass a bill that gave voter 150 days to negate their signature they placed on the HTD ballot initiative which HTD is challanging all the way to the Florida Supreme count. They send a letter to each and every person who signed for HTD and in addition call them on the phone asking them to change their mind. (I'm told this really makes people mad!) Dick Nixson couldn't have done better!

Petition collector are being paid $3 for each signatue for "Smart Growth" and developers have raised 50 million dollars to defeat democracy at the level of we the people.

Democracy at the lowest level is what our founding father wanted. but special interests are terrified if we the poeple jump in their " " and mess with what they want.

Developers are in a state of absolute panic over HTD for if it passes they know the party that has diven development in Florida to unprseident heights will be over!!

This an issue with little or no middle ground. Either you support the kinds of growth we have had in the last two decades that has deminished every aspect of life in Florida,or you support HomeTown Democracy.

Which do you choose?