Growth Management Study Commission

Growth Management Study Commission Issues its Final Report (Foresight, Spring 2001)
By Charles Pattison, Executive Director

After seven months of meeting and deliberation, the Governor's Growth Management Study Commission issued its final report in February. This commission was charged with developing bold new approaches to better deal with Florida's crowded schools, congested roads, out-of-control development, dwindling natural areas, shortage of affordable housing, and declining quality of life. Its report has been presented to the governor and the Legislature for consideration this session.

1000 Friends of Florida is fully supportive of positive refinement to this state's growth management process. After all, the last comprehensive changes were made in 1985, with some major adjustments in 1993. During the 1990s alone, Florida welcomed 834 new residents a day, adding over 3 million residents. We all recognize that Florida needs to do a much better job of managing its growth.

We monitored work of the Growth Management Study Commission carefully, attending all of its meetings and providing input as allowed. As anticipated, however, we believe the commission's work fell far short of its goals. In part this was due to the time allocated—seven months to completely overhaul a process that has been evolving for close to thirty years is insufficient. Additionally, the opportunity for meaningful public input and constructive comment was severely limited.

Here are some of our concerns:

The Governor's Commission calls for less state involvement in community planning. We agree that the state does not need to review each and every one of the 12,000 plan amendments adopted by local governments each year. But shouldn't the state continue to play an active role in lessening urban sprawl, promoting affordable housing, and maintaining water supply? Under the commission's proposal, "compelling state interests" would be limited to natural resources, transportation, and natural disaster preparedness.

Further, the state's comprehensive plan, its vision for Florida's future, would be reduced to one sentence that identifies "the economy" as the state's highest priority. Remember the line, "What's good for General Motors is good for America?" Here it is, Florida style.

That old whipping boy, the Development of Regional Impact (or DRI) process, is to be no more. As a replacement, regional cooperation agreements between local governments and Florida's eleven Regional Planning Councils are to be adopted to deal with the impacts of large scale development. This would replace the current complex process with an even more cumbersome system. Admittedly, it is time to get rid of the DRI program, but not before creating a well-thought-out, feasible alternative. A rushed effort five years ago to eliminate the DRI process created so much uncertainty that even development interests came forward to say the existing system wasn't so bad after all. In the words of Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again."

The commission attempted to tackle the problem of overcrowded schools, linking local government approval of new subdivisions to the availability of adequate classroom space to handle the additional students. But at the last minute, it added an amendment that would make portable facilities, long-distance busing, double sessions, and school vouchers "appropriate" options to reduce school overcrowding.

The commission also calls for "full cost accounting" for development. This means that as a development is planned, the costs associated with that development are assessed, and it is decided up front who will pay for them—the developer or the taxpayer. The commission included such costs as roads and schools. But it did not include less tangible costs. For example, what's an acre of panther habitat or wetlands worth? How do you measure the benefits to the community of providing affordable housing? As recommended, we will never know, because factors like these are not to be included.

Citizen involvement has been a cornerstone of Florida's current system of managing growth. Once more, the commission has some positive recommendations, including discouraging developers from filing suits against private citizens, calling for clearer notice of planning changes and earlier citizen involvement, and requiring citizen involvement plans in development decisions. But then the commission pulled the state out as the mediator on planning challenges and turned that responsibility over to eleven underfunded Regional Planning Councils, without providing them any extra dollars or training for their new responsibilities. The bottom line is that citizens would be asked to shoulder even larger burdens, with fewer resources and no more legal authority than before.

Florida's rural areas are increasingly threatened by sprawling urban development. To address this serious problem, the commission calls for establishing a state rural policy and a fund to purchase the "development rights" from certain farmers and agribusinesses so their lands will remain in agricultural uses. Again, these are commendable concepts. But the commission also includes provisions to prevent local governments from using its authority to reduce densities allowed in rural areas, and it even provides for "density bonuses" in rural areas, making it more expensive for state government to purchase those development rights.

And don't forget funding. In this time of tight budgets, funds are needed for education, infrastructure, and more protection for conservation areas. The commission managed to agree that at least $100 million per year for 20 years should be set aside for conservation easements for agricultural lands. But the commission could not agree on how much funding is needed to address backlogs for schools and infrastructure—so they didn't put any figure on those at all. Nor did the commission ever finalize financial incentives to promote urban redevelopment and infill.

Where does this leave us? As we enter the 2001 Legislative session, it does not appear that there is a strong constituency for the adoption of the Growth Management Study Commission's full report. Everyone, from homebuilders to environmentalists, has serious concerns with different portions of this report.

1000 Friends has been advocating that the Legislature establish a process to flesh out the provisions for full cost accounting and better coordinating school and land use planning this session, and establish a more representative commission to address other growth management issues over the coming year. As the debate continues, we will continue to push for meaningful state oversight of local planning, targeted funding to promote urban redevelopment and protect rural areas, a proactive state role in affordable housing, and expanded citizen participation.