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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 3, 2001
I read with great interest and encouragement two items that were recently featured in the St. Petersburg Times concerning growth management or, as Realtors prefer to define it, "smart growth."
One was a letter (Smart growth effort needs official support, Aug. 26), authored by Rep. John Carassas, the other Florida's future depends on creating "smart growth," an Aug. 13 guest column by Joanna "Cookie" Kennedy. I am very pleased that these respected public officials have adopted the term "smart growth" and that they are committed to ensuring the viability of our communities.
By definition, "smart growth" means the redevelopment, or further development, of areas currently served by existing infrastructure with the intent of limiting urban sprawl. It means revitalizing our urban cores so that citizens can live, work, shop, dine and recreate in these downtown areas without being dependent on an automobile. It also means having access to efficient and cost-effective public transportation that will reduce the strain on our roads. These are all concepts our association supports.
In mid August at the Florida Association of Realtors annual convention, Gov. Jeb Bush spoke passionately about the need to modify our state's growth-management laws. The governor spoke of three priorities. They are: (1) the concept of full-cost accounting, (2) revamped school concurrency and (3) striking a balance between state and local jurisdictions in growth decisions. Clearly, all of these issues deserve our fullest consideration, and Gov. Bush should be commended.
Realtors have the distinct privilege of selling the American dream of home ownership; therefore, we have a vested interest in the quality and sustainability of our communities. It is absolutely essential that we have an ample supply of potable drinking water and other vital resources, that our roads and infrastructure are not dangerously overburdened, that our families have access to parks and green space and that our children are educated in world-class facilities that are free from debilitating overcrowding.
Our association is committed to the concept of smart growth and is proud to support efforts to revitalize downtown areas, especially Clearwater. We are confident that the Gulf Boulevard improvement project will benefit property values and tourism, and are excited about the vast possibilities that both the St. Petersburg Vision 20/20 and the Pinellas County Vision 2010 initiatives present.
Clearly, growth management is one of the most critical issues facing our state. It is imperative that elected officials, business organizations, environmental groups and others work together on developing smart-growth policies, for the decisions we make concerning growth management will have a quantifiable impact on the lives of future generations.
-- Laurie Neiman, president Greater Clearwater Association of Realtors, Clearwater
Re: Keep the dogs home and the beaches clean, letter, Aug. 17.
You're absolutely right about irresponsible dog owners letting their dogs run loose, scaring the walkers and doing their duties without the owners cleaning it up. Dogs are not allowed on the public access to the beach. If you own a home on the beach on Eldorado Avenue, you have the right to have your dog or dogs on the beach as you are a resident and pay a pretty hefty property tax to live there.
I take my dog to the beach. I'm very responsible about the leash law, and I always clean up after her. I see a lot more human trash. I feel the police need to start giving out littering tickets. Dogs are not allowed on public beaches. After you pass the commercial area of Clearwater Beach, you are on private beach. So if the dogs on the private end of Clearwater Beach bother you so much, I suggest you stay on the public beach.
-- Marlyn Tracey, Clearwater
We are all aware of the dangers of driving U.S. 19. But did you know that Largo has five of the most dangerous intersections in Pinellas County? The infamous grid of Belcher/Ulmerton/Starkey/East Bay provides four of these. We also have the quiet but deadly intersection of Missouri/Rosery.
Most accidents, injuries and deaths are caused because drivers violate the basic traffic laws. So when the Largo Police Department stated that it would create traffic teams to address Largo's dangerous road mania, it sounded like a good idea.
But all I've observed is that we have an increased police presence in the form of swarms of patrol squads in speed-trap mode on a few of Largo's open stretches and radar-equipped cars hiding along roadways. These tactics may generate some superficial statistics, but do they really address improving traffic safety?
A famous criminal stated he robbed banks because that's where the money was. Shouldn't traffic enforcement also be where the action is -- the obvious and known dangerous intersections where the running of red lights, improper lane changes and turns, accidents, injuries and unnecessary delays occur on a daily basis?
Outlawing the use of cell phones while driving sounds good; but if police can't institute a plan to enforce the rules of the road, what is the point of another ordinance? Largo's new police chief was touted to be innovative. What's he waiting for?
-- Ross C. Herman, Largo