Developers depend on building for profits. Continued building requires more people, which, of course, means growth, growth, growth. If you want to see the results of developers run amok, look at Miami, look at Orlando. Along the way, the developers profited, but a once magnificent environment was gutted and quality of life disappeared. Waterways are polluted.
Schools are overcrowded.
Crime is rampant. Beautiful vistas have been replaced by concrete and asphalt and cookie-cutter buildings and neighborhoods. Those in control want more and more, and to reach their goal they're giving away millions of tax dollars in the process. Quality of life in Jacksonville may be slipping, but the cash registers keep ringing. Those controlling the debate now argue that if a city isn't growing, it's dead.