The battle over Amendment 4, the "Vote on Everything" initiative designed to throttle down growth in Florida, has come to Live Oak. A supporter of the initiative says our local Chamber of Commerce broke the law by holding a meeting at City Hall to tell folks what's at stake. The war of words is underway in our letters and Rant & Rave columns as well.
We've made our position clear. In Tampa or Miami, Amendment 4 might - and we stress the word - actually seem to make sense, if only at first blush. In places where developers have run roughshod over the environment and the will of the voters, drastic measures (such as Amendment 4's requirement that each and every change to a land use plan be put to a community-wide vote) could well sound reasonable.
But not here.
Intelligent growth is the key to sustaining the local economy. Without it, we'll never find a way to keep our young folks from leaving home for greener pastures.
The issues involved are complex and we plan to discuss them in detail as the debate progresses. There's plenty more to come, folks. This one's just getting started.
