The Florida legislative season is over. It was a hard session if you believe in local government control. The continuation of the Tallahassee brand of “pater familias knows best” attitude was pre-eminent.
“Pater familias” is a Latin term for head of the family. In ancient Rome, the oldest male in a family oversaw the family property and all the other family members as well. His word was law. There was no need to consult the rest of the household before making decisions. This was basically the way the mafia was organized with the godfather as head of the family.
The Florida legislature has a history of making sure that local governments do not go to far afield in how and what they do. They are eager to prevent cities and counties from passing things that would make their contributors unhappy. Industries do not want to deal with individual counties and cities. They would rather whisper in the ears of the heads of the families, as legislative leaders believe they are.
If a city bans plastic bags, the legislative leaders pass a pre-emption. The builders want uniformity, and the heads of our state families have the building codes changed so that locals can’t intrude on architectural details. Our state fathers proclaim freedom for their local families unless it interferes with their friends. It almost sounds like a “Godfather” movie.
For example, Key West residents wanted to limit cruise ship traffic as evidenced by 60% of the Key West voters saying yes to the limitation. The legislature then inserted into another bill a retroactive provision that would prohibit local ballot initiatives restricting maritime commerce. It does not matter what the people want. State pols will make sure that the plebes do not cross the economic patricians who contribute to the families’ coffers.
This issue of impact fees serves as another example. In my opinion, impact fees are not always justified, especially in a built-out municipality. I would much rather see individual projects pay for their impacts as part of the PUD agreements when projects are approved. Just because I think impact fees are not useful does not mean I want Tallahassee limiting the ability of local governments to collect them. How about the legislature stays out of the matter and allows local people to decide whether they should be imposed?
From tree ordinances to short term rentals, the best decisions are local. I thought implementation of the straw ordinance in Stuart was a waste. Even though many businesses have complied, how much has it helped the environment…none. It was a feel-good measure and nothing more.
Though I opposed the implementation of that ban, I supported the Stuart commission’s authority to do so. In the past several years, Florida has moved from local governments making the decisions to a dictatorship imposing its will under the guise of freedom.
Do not be fooled. There is not freedom when Tallahassee tells us what to do. Our political tribes call the shots because the likelihood that our state representatives will lose in a re-election are very slim to none. Martin County is a very safe Republican stronghold where there are no worries about the voters.
It is not whether you agree with a particular position, it is whether you want the decisions made by state pols who believe your preferences are immaterial. Pre-emption of local governance has slowly taken away our individuality…not enhanced it. The political dribble “new speak” is just that…a way of making you think that what they do in Tallahassee is best. Do not buy it for a second. Tallahassee does what is best for Tallahassee’s politicians.