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Break up the politician-developer cabal

Ocala Star-Banner

OTHER VOICES

Break up the politician-developer cabal

By Gary Borse

Special to the Star-Banner

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Our way of life is in jeopardy through the actions of the county commissioners who are not working in the general public's best interest, but for their developer friends who fill their bank accounts with campaign contributions for rezoning favors and fat county contracts for roads, fire stations, jails and parks.

Rezoning rural farmland can be worth tens of millions of dollars to a landowner and developer like Del Webb, Pulte Homes or John Rudnianyn, the Castro family, Steven Counts, Boyd Development Companies, McBride, Stavola and others. So contributing to the financial coffers of county commissioners, or offering them other favors, is commonplace in Florida.

If you look at FloridaHometownDemocracy.com, you can clearly see how Marion County fits into the scheme of things as they try and rezone their land outside the Urban Growth Boundary before November, when Florida residents stand up to the developers and pass Florida's Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 to stop the county commissions from doing this to us over and over again.

I urge the Ocala Star-Banner to publish the campaign contributions and amounts given to each county commissioner. Alongside this, list the ones who got land-use favors and how many favors and acres of land have been rezoned from rural land to commercial, industrial, rural activity and residential usage, as well as county contracts that have been awarded and their value to the contributor.

Only then, we can clearly see who is working for whom, as we protest this assault on our way of life, and quiet enjoyment conveyed to us through our land deeds, as well as the increased taxes to pay for infrastructure such as roads, fire stations and maintenance forever on these so-called improvements we don't want or need outside of the city limits of Ocala.

The Florida Hometown Democracy website shows the mad rush to rezone and develop property before the November election as well as other vital statistics that you should know as an informed citizen and voter.

If these high-density commercial and mining rezoning activities are approved, an investigation of some of the past and present Marion County commissioners' conflicts of interest and use of public office for personal financial gain through the developers and mining industry is warranted.

If Florida Hometown Democracy was in place today, that Dollar General that the town of McIntosh opposed would not be on the edge of their city limits, ruining the character of that historical area. The turn lanes were built by the taxpayers, the traffic congestion and light pollution are no charge.

Shame on our county commissioners.

For years, we have driven to town once a week for supplies. We don't need the County Commission to bring the town to us just so a few of them and their friends can make money. When the big landowners bought their properties on speculation, they took a chance they would be whatever they wanted them to be. After November, that will all change - and by trying to get these changes railroaded through before then just adds more credibility to the claims of corruption that are underlying in this county and state.

Gary Borse is a cattle farmer who lives in Fairfield.

Published in: Op-ed articles on Sunday 1st of August 2010