Already, lawmakers have moved to cut out the heart of Florida's growth management law, passed 15 years ago to curb urban sprawl. One bill would change the way citizens can challenge developments. Another would eliminate vehicle emissions testing, even though smog is still a problem in the Tampa Bay area. There are still weeks to go before the Legislature adjourns on May 5. Senate leaders have vowed to kill any attempts to revamp growth management this year.
Every legislative session begins with proposals that have little chance of passing.
The types of issues that are being raised are really aggressively anti-environmental. One of the most hotly contested measures attempts to set, in law, the imaginary line along lakes and rivers where public land ends and private land begins. It's backed by the Florida Forestry Association, the Florida Cattlemen's Association, the Florida Property Rights Coalition, the Florida Farm Bureau and the Florida Land Council. Several other bills would shield agricultural lands from zoning changes and local regulations. But many moderate Republicans are wincing at the spectacle.