The cost of development
Holey moley, here's a little bite of what developers cost our county:
It was the forces of development that tried to force through a bunch of rules revisions that would de-fang the Volusia Growth Management Commission.
After countless hours of meetings and pushes from developers' attorneys, the residents of Volusia County spoke out last year. Most of the changes were canned.
Attorney Paul Chipok of GrayRobinson, who represents the Growth Management Commission, provided the commission a breakdown of legal consulting fees relevant to the rules changes. It's the taxpayers who foot the bill for this, remember.
For fiscal years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 the total came to $70,241.
It's just a drop in the bucket of the true cost to the taxpayers for developers maneuvering to get what they want.
Think of all the money county and city governments spend on the development process — millions — on hearings, comp plan changes, appealing state rulings, going to court. Think of all the hours county staff — legal and planning — put in on Farmton, to help push it through.
Then think how much you spend in taxes to pave and maintain the roads, put in the fire stations and law-enforcement officers, maintain the sewer lines and everything else for the development after it is built.
HISS X 5.
And don't forget corruption. 7 officials every month in Florida are convicted of corruption--834 in 10 years.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget the cost of your water. Take Farmton for instance. If they really do have 11 million gallons a day that can be withdrawn without sucking Deep Creek and the marshes dry, and, if SJRWMD actually wanted to have us conserve (more on that later) that would be enough water for 220,000 people to live on, which would take care of a lot of future development that SJRWMD is saying we are going to have to take from our lakes and rivers (risking yet more environmental damage) or from investing in the least "green" form of water supply imaginable, desalination. In the end, by adding 80,000 more straws to our aquifer, the County Council has brought the day decades nearer for running out of water, and that my fellow taxpayers, will cost billions and billions and make business in Florida non-competive with the rest of the country.
Eric, you are so right. Sad.
ReplyDelete