Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board
Treasure Coast Newspapers
Feb. 28, 2018
Sometimes, legislative bills metastasize.
Case in point would be Florida House Bill 883, which started out as a measure designed to expand Community Development Districts, or CDDs, which are created by property owners who then sometimes use the CDD to borrow money, make improvements, then sell the land.
But now, reports the nonprofit preservation group 1000 Friends of Florida, the bill has been amended to include new provisions that would eliminate community redevelopment agencies, require existing urban development boundaries created by voter referendum be voted on again, and changes rules on Developments of Regional Impact in a way that could hamstring local governments.
The group worries the bill, as it now reads, could weaken regulations that seek to curtail sprawl. We’re concerned also that the measure is being used as a sneaky means of killing CRAs. And we’re wondering why proposals with such potentially far-reaching consequences would be tacked onto what was a fairly innocuous bill.