A Message from Florida Hometown Democracy to
Our Friends at Save the Manatee Club!

Like a lot of you, I’ve watched for years as chunk after chunk of natural Florida is destroyed. As habitat is destroyed and degraded, species like the manatee are pushed toward extinction.

And yet for all the happy talk about how much they love manatees and Florida’s other natives, you don’t see local officials saying no to endless, destructive development. So uncontrolled, willy-nilly construction continues unabated, even though most Floridians don’t want it and natural Florida can’t survive it.

Here’s a surprise: when a city or county commission votes on a proposed land use change, these commissioners are standing in the shoes of the voters, and they are not supposed to approve the proposed change unless they determine that the change will not harm the community. But you know the truth: too often the only “community” local government is interested is protecting the construction industry. More than 40% of the state's natural habitats have been converted to urban and agricultural uses, causing severe impacts on Florida's non-human inhabitants:

  • More than 600 species are considered rare or imperiled in South Florida.
  • 68 species are listed by the federal government as threatened or
    endangered, including the Florida panther, American crocodile, gentle manatee, and five species of sea turtles.
  • In addition, the tiny Key deer, the wood stork and the bald eagle are just three of 99 species of animals and plants designated by state officials as threatened or endangered.
  • Loss of habitat is the primary cause of extinction, and we can prevent it!

What are you going to do about it?

Florida Hometown Democracy seeks to amend the Florida constitution to establish that VOTERS shall make the final decision on whether or not they want a particular change to their comprehensive plan. For example, Florida Hometown Democracy will ensure that state-mandated manatee protection plans that must be enshrined in a local comprehensive plan cannot be changed without a referendum and voter approval.

After all, it’s our government, and we are the ones who get stuck with the consequences of corrupt, bad development changes.

If we work together, we can have a say in our land use and protect both our natural inhabitants and our quality of life! You can read all about the petition at www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.

Please help us today! Florida’s future will thank you.

Lesley Blackner, the president of Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc., is an environmental attorney in Palm Beach.

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