Paid political advertisement - paid for and sponsored by Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc., 610 South Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606
KEY MESSAGES: "VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 4"
1. Amendment 4 will cost jobs, raise taxes and hurt Florida's economy.
During these difficult economic times, the last thing we need is an amendment that will lead to higher
property taxes, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy. But that's exactly what Amendment 4 will do. If
passed, Amendment 4 will hurt every sector of Florida's economy. A recent study by the Washington
Economics Group shows that Amendment 4 is likely to cost over 260,000 jobs and reduce Florida's
economic output by more than $34 billion per year. New businesses will find it harder to bring jobs to
Florida. Local businesses will find it tougher and more expensive to grow, and Florida's working families
will suffer the most.
2. A local version of Amendment 4 has already caused higher taxes, fewer jobs and
more lawsuits in one Florida town.
A local version of Amendment 4 has been "thoroughly tested" in the small Florida town of St. Pete Beach,
reports the St. Petersburg Times. According to the Times, the measure has been "divisive, expensive and
an impediment to much-needed redevelopment." Since adopting a local version of Amendment 4, the
citizens of St. Pete Beach have seen nearly a dozen lawsuits that have cost local taxpayers over half-amillion
dollars in legal fees. When St. Pete Beach voters approved four pro-economy changes to their
comprehensive plan in 2008, Amendment 4 lawyers sued to overturn the election. More than a year
after voting to change their comprehensive plan, the people of St. Pete Beach are still defending their
vote in court. The St. Petersburg Times concludes that Amendment 4 "invites short-term thinking and
frequent referendums that are even more susceptible to well-financed campaigns by powerful interests."
3. Amendment 4 will cost taxpayers millions and lead to chaos at the polls.
Under Amendment 4, the taxpayers will be forced to fund expensive referenda for every technical
change to their local comprehensive plan. The Editorial Board of the Orlando Sentinel pointed out that
these costs would "soar into the millions." It would not be uncommon for voters to face 200 or 300 minor
plan revisions on a single ballot. According to a review of state records, the residents of Carrabelle-a
small Franklin County town-would have voted 617 times if Amendment 4 had been law in 2006!
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Paid political advertisement - paid for and sponsored by Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc., 610 South Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606
4. This amendment is so poorly written that it doesn't even provide exceptions for
vital community needs such as hospitals, police stations and schools.
Amendment 4 advocates do not want to empower voters; they want to stop growth at any cost-just
look at what they did to St. Pete Beach. Under this proposal, special interests on both sides of the
development debate will gain influence at the expense of ordinary citizens. Important community
projects from transit to schools will become the victim of politics and under Amendment 4, sound bites
will have more influence than sound planning.
5. Amendment 4 is opposed by a broad and diverse coalition because it may "kill
jobs" and "encourage sprawl."
Over 200 organizations have opposed Amendment 4 because of its impacts on Florida's economy,
environment and quality of life. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has called the measure a "jobs killer"
and 1000 Friends of Florida-our state's top growth management watchdog group-has expressed
concern that Amendment 4 may "encourage sprawling patterns of development." Altogether, numerous
leading business groups, labor unions, citizen-coalitions, healthcare groups, environmental leaders and
planning organizations have actively opposed Amendment 4.
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