Amendment 4's utility

HeraldTribune.com

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Letters to Editor

Amendment 4's utility

I appreciate the concerns raised by guest columnists Dan and Charlie Bailey about Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution. They are very knowledgeable about land-use law and have responsibly represented development interests….

While raising concerns and identifying hypothetical problems, they did not address the other side of the equation -- the dreadful prospects for growth management under current legislative leadership, who are sympathetic to development interests and have undertaken systematically to dismantle Florida's growth-management and water-resource protections. In the same fashion that the Legislature tried last year to remove constraints on oil drilling within eyesight of our beaches, legislators have substantially weakened our protections against inappropriate development and will soon undertake the abolition of the state agency responsible for oversight of growth management.

I was among the legislative staff who worked on the Environmental Lands Management measure that was the precursor to the landmark 1986 legislation that the current legislative group is trying to repeal, albeit in pieces. I am proud of the foresight exhibited by Warren Henderson, Bob Johnson and others from this area who led the legislative fights to create safeguards for our environment over the past 40 years. What will be left to protect Florida's irreplaceable environmental and historical resources? Shall we return to the virtually unregulated era of development?

It's hard for me to believe that Dan and Charlie Bailey want that result, but I am unaware of any realistic alternative to prevent the current legislative leadership from ensuring serious harm to our environment. Destructive legislation has begun and is destined to continue unless immediate, dramatic and insurmountable obstacles are placed in the way. Overreaching as it might be, Amendment 4 may be our only choice.

John Wesley White, Sarasota

The author is a former Sarasota County administrator.