Developers' lies taint battle over petition
By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published September 18, 2007
If lawmakers think they can combat misleading petition gatherers by letting people revoke their signatures, they ought to read the first counterassault in the war against Hometown Democracy. This letter is intended to scare recipients with its lies and distortions, and the lobbyist and former legislator who signed it should be ashamed of himself.
"The special interests are hoping they can sneak their constitutional amendment past Florida's voters and into Florida's Constitution before you fully understand what's in it," writes John Thrasher, who no less than three times identifies himself as a former House speaker. "Unless you want higher property taxes, higher utility bills and Florida's scenic beauty destroyed by Big Developers, you will certainly want to revoke your signature from their petition."
The Hometown Democracy petition initiative, which would require voters to approve new revisions to local growth plans, may or may not be a good idea. But it is most certainly not a tool of "Big Developers." Just the opposite. It is intended to slow down and even stop development growth, not enable more of it. And the notion that it could spur higher property taxes and soaring utility bills and destroy "scenic beauty" is pure distortion. Thrasher might as well claim the amendment will also produce deadlier hurricanes.
Thrasher is a former speaker who left his most relevant credential off this letter. He is now a well-paid lobbyist who represents some of the biggest development companies in Florida, and they want to stamp out Hometown Democracy.
Thrasher offers no apologies, saying he is fighting against "mercenaries" who are being paid to gather petitions. Records do indicate that more and more of the Hometown Democracy petitions, now numbering roughly 330,000, are being gathered by companies paid per signature. But that is not an uncommon practice, and the mailing of these "Petition Revocation Forms" is hardly free. These mailings aren't offering clarity; they are confusing and scaring voters.
The Thrasher letter goes on to warn recipients that the Hometown amendment "turns all power over use of Florida's lands to certain 'electors.' Guess who the 'electors' will be. The 'special interests' and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies." Those "certain electors," as Thrasher puts it, are actually Florida voters.
This battle over development promises to be an epic one, with some consultants predicting that development interests could spend as much as $65-million if Hometown Democracy reaches the ballot. By comparison, asking voters to revoke their signatures on petitions must seem like a bargain.
For all the problems inherent in Florida's sordid petition industry, the Legislature appears only to have created a business counterpart. This one meets up with voters not at the local mall but in their mailbox. If Thrasher's letter is any guide, voters should keep the trash can handy.