These are comments I made today before the Constitution Revision Commission in Boca Raton  to strengthen “Home Rule”.

Mr. Chairman and Commissioners:

My name is Tom Campenni and I am the Mayor of Stuart Florida. I am also the Vice President of the League of Treasure Coast Cities and a board member of the Florida League of Cities. I currently am the Chair of the Treasure Coast Council of Local Governments.

I come to you today as a local elected official to speak on the importance of local government and an erosion of local control through the use of pre-emption by the legislature.

Our current constitution enshrines the doctrine of “home rule”.

By the legislature’s use of pre-emption that right is increasingly being taken away from counties and cities.

The reason that home rule is so important is because government should reflect the will of the people. Who is better to know that will than a neighbor and friend?

The one size fits all mentality that is currently being espoused by the state legislature is counterproductive to how good government should function.

The purpose of local government is to allow the citizens to live in communities that express their will. Municipalities provide those levels of services that their citizens want, desire and are willing to pay to have.

We, elected officials, pass ordinances that reflect the values of the people that reside there.

There are many things that the state needs to be involved in to protect Florida citizens.

For example, local Government should not be able to license attorneys and doctors. Those standards should be state wide.

But where the physical offices of those lawyers and doctors are should be decided by local zoning.

Where is the state’s interest in regulating short term rentals? Why should the legislature dictate to my city whether that use should be allowed or not.

If the citizens of Stuart or any municipality want them believe me they will let their commission know.

What has happened in the past decade is the legislature has developed the mindset that they know best. This is far from the truth.

There are 160 legislators in Tallahassee. There are thousands of local elected officials throughout the state.

The vast majority are either unpaid or receive very little compensation. We do it because we want to serve and make our communities better.

I urge this commission to strengthen home rule and restore the rights of local government to what the 1968 constitution intended.