By the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board
If we asked you why you chose to make Florida your home, many of you would respond pretty simply. You were attracted — or enticed to stay here — by a mix of affordability, abundant natural beauty and an intangible quality that can best be summed up as “fun.”
And if you were to ask many of your fellow Floridians why they are considering leaving, you’d get the same reasons, only soured and strained. Florida is no longer affordable. Many previously wild spaces are being tamed by bulldozers and backhoes.
And “fun” is on the endangered species list. Because in this session, the Legislature offers very little hope of turning things around. Instead, many lawmakers are pushing bills that, if they become law, would only make things worse, handing Florida’s future off to profiteers, strip-mining its natural resources and leaving it even more vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.
That message came through at a recent press conference hosted by advocacy group 1000 Friends of Florida. A broad array of environmental and growth management advocates rattled off bill after bill that would open hundreds of thousands of acres to lazy, irresponsible development that could undo decades of dedication to careful planning and growth management. Even worse, many of these bills would crush attempts by local governments and citizens to fight back and protect their communities — even force them to pick up the legal bills for the developers they fought to stop.
We’ll call out just a few of the most egregious. HB 439 is a vicious gutting of Florida’s growth management laws, right down to an official whitewashing of the term “sprawl.” It would strip local governments’ ability to say no to development based on the lack of schools, roads and other infrastructure — putting a massive burden on local taxpayers. HB 359 would shred local comprehensive-planning efforts, wiping away Florida’s once-shining reputation for careful growth management.
As this editorial was being written, both these bills lacked Senate companions. Often, that signals a lack of support. But advocates have ferreted out many of the same concepts slipped into other legislation that is better positioned to pass. There’s also a strong trend toward discouraging, even punishing, local leaders and Florida residents who protest bad development decisions.
If even a few of them become law, Florida’s future could be crippled by what 1000 Friends dubbed the “high cost of poor planning.”
That cost is higher than many realize. Benign neglect is already putting far too many things in danger. The clear springs where generations of Florida children have splashed — and that provide the best indicator of the health of Florida’s water supply — are already failing. Major rivers and estuaries are already being choked by algae blooms that leave them looking more like guacamole (and smelling considerably worse). The hopes of many communities striving to create vibrant downtowns and affordable, safe homes for young families, middle-class workers and retirees are already being undermined by cheaply built homes with astronomical price tags that are pushing sprawl deeper into the state’s wild spaces.
That’s why you should send your lawmaker a copy of an order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January. In it, he demands action to protect the state’s water supply and bolster it against the threat of sea-level rise. He also calls for a renewed focus on growth management that “ensures sustainable growth while protecting our natural resources.” He singles out the need to eliminate threats to water bodies from aging septic tanks and protect major restoration projects in the Everglades and Indian River Lagoon while closely monitoring coastal development. Many of the bills being offered this session stand in direct defiance of this directive. DeSantis — who has not hesitated to trample legislators in the past — should make sure lawmakers understand that if they pass, he’s already warming up his favorite veto pen.
And those of you who admire his priorities should speak up. Let lawmakers know you won’t tolerate any move that lets profiteers run away with Florida’s future.
This opinion piece was originally published by the Orlando Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact them at insight@orlandosentinel.com
