Voters cast ballots against growth

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Submitted by nick on Wed, 2007-11-14 20:50

Sarasota County's anti-growth movement has rarely appeared stronger than it did at the polls Tuesday.

Ignoring strong lobbying from the business community, voters in the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County overwhelmingly approved supermajority measures. The new requirements will make it more difficult for developers to build in many areas.

The message was also unmistakable in Venice, where three City Council incumbents blamed by their challengers for the city's rampant growth lost by landslide margins.

County Commissioner Jon Thaxton said voters are responding to years of concerns about inadequate roads and diminished water supplies."Tonight is just a continuation of a really loud, clear message," Thaxton said.

Voters in the city of Sarasota also backed a plan to limit campaign donations in City Commission races to $200 per person and to ban donations from businesses. In the past, developers have been able to exceed campaign donation limits by writing checks from multiple business holdings.

Business leaders and developers tried to defeat the supermajority issues, saying they would do more damage to the region's economy by hindering future building. Voters heard the message. But at the polls Tuesday they said they were not buying that argument.

"A lot of people say it will hold back progress," Park East resident George Gan said. "But what progress is there?"

The anti-growth mood is not confined to Southwest Florida. It is becoming a statewide theme as voters begin to question years of explosive growth, said University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus. She said voters are angered by congestion, but also by increased costs that have accompanied recent growth. Many blame growth for rising home prices, property tax increases and now the collapsing real estate market, which has made it difficult to sell a home.

She said voters are looking for someone to blame and have set their anger on developers and the people in local offices who appear to be aiding them.

By JEREMY WALLACE published by heraldtribune.com November 7, 2007

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