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2000
Annual Report Dear Friends, Growth management was a hot topic in Florida during 2000: The Legislature unsuccessfully attempted to gut this state's process to deal with it, a coalition of 28 public interest groups coalesced to take action on it, the governor established a study commission to recommend changes to the process for it, and several polls confirmed that most Floridians continued to support strong and effective growth management. 1000 Friends of Florida played a critical role in halting the ill-conceived bills, actively participating in the coalition, monitoring the work of the Governor's commission, and developing and disseminating information on Florida's growth-related problems and possible solutions. 1000 Friends also nurtured communities across the state that were successful in managing their growth—from recognizing several counties at our annual awards ceremony for their work in developing public-private partnerships to promote community-based planning, to providing hands-on assistance through the Palm Beach County Green Initiative and Waterfronts Florida to communities working to improve their quality of life. 1000 Friends continued as a leading advocate for the promotion of affordable housing, with special attention to housing for individuals with the lowest income. Key legal victories upheld using comprehensive plans to curb urban sprawl, strengthened citizen standing for nonprofit organizations, and promoted more sensible annexation policies. Continuing to spread the word on smart growth, we participated in diverse panels and commissions, ranging from one focusing on this state's 2020 Transportation Plan to a daylong summit convened by Governor Jeb Bush to address reducing manatee deaths in our state. We were honored to receive the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy's 2000 Grassroots Leadership Award. We ended the year with some major changes, as our longtime Chairman Nathaniel Reed and President John M. DeGrove moved to emeritus status, and C. Allen Watts and Timothy Jackson assumed the responsibilities of President and Vice President. Both Reed and DeGrove remain committed to active roles in this organization, as Watts and Jackson capably take the helm. Once again, we thank our many friends across the state who assisted us in these and other endeavors. Our successes would not have been possible without your support. Sincerely,
Some Highlights of the Year 2000: Advocating for Smarter Growth By the year 2000, Florida's population had grown to16 million—up 3 million from a decade earlier. Growth-related problems were increasingly apparent, as water shortages, congested roads, crowded schools, and pedestrian fatalities made growth management a hot topic. With everyone from the governor and legislators to public interest groups, private citizens and the media wrestling with how Florida could best plan for its burgeoning population, growth management came under increased scrutiny. Here are some of the highlights: The 2000 Legislative Session. The Legislature responded to Florida's growth problems by trying to dismantle key planning tools. Bills introduced would have removed state oversight of planning in favor of 67 underfunded local review councils, eliminated the Development of Regional Impact process, reduced citizen challenge provisions, and conveyed several hundred thousand acres of state and public lands to private property owners. 1000 Friends played a critical role in advocating against harmful changes. We established an e-mail alert system to notify concerned citizens and updated our web site regularly with the latest information. Thanks to vocal citizen input, outstanding media coverage, and strong leadership in the Senate, these ill-advised bills failed in 2000, resulting in no substantive change to the way Florida managed its growth or protected its environment. Sometimes, no news is good news. Florida's Growth Management Coalition. One highlight of the 2000 session was the blossoming of an informal coalition of 28 public interest groups concerned about growth management issues. The group adopted a platform supporting positive refinements to Florida's growth management process, advocating strongly—and successfully—against the problematic bills facing the Legislature. Among 1000 Friends of Florida's allies in the coalition were the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, League of Women Voters of Florida, Sierra Club, Florida Consumer Action Network, Florida Public Interest Research Group and Save the Manatee Club, as well as such nontraditional partners as the Florida Council of Churches, American Lung Association, and Florida State Council of Senior Citizens. The Governor's Growth Management Study Commission. As a result of the impasse at the Legislature, Governor Bush established a commission to recommend changes to Florida's growth management system in time for the 2001 legislative session. The commission came up with 89 recommendations for dramatic changes to Florida's current process. Due in part to the short time-frame, many of these recommendations were not sufficiently fleshed out. 1000 Friends actively monitored these meetings, advocating strongly but unsuccessfully in favor of focusing on two or three areas for refinement. Public Awareness. Several studies released in 2000 reflected Floridians' support for growth management. A statewide poll commissioned by 1000 Friends found that 80 percent of the respondents were strongly or somewhat opposed to making it harder for citizens to challenge new development, and that 70 percent would be inclined to vote against legislators who played a role in relaxing growth management and environmental laws in Florida. An informal survey of our members revealed that an overwhelming 98 percent felt there should be agreement on how a community would pay for schools, roads and other public services prior to approval of a new development. A survey conducted by the Florida Department of Community Affairs also reflected significant public support for growth management. Helping to Build Successful Communities While 1000 Friends was an active advocate for responsible planning at the state level, we also worked hard to assist citizens and local governments shape successful communities, particularly through the Palm Beach County Green Initiative and Waterfronts Florida. Palm Beach County Green Initiative. Through our Palm Beach County office, we partnered with area leaders to promote better planning, education, and advocacy to encourage smarter growth in Palm Beach County, as follows. Planning—1000 Friends continued to monitor the development of the master plan for the area known as the Agricultural Reserve, successfully encouraging the reduction in the number of units in this important agricultural area, while advocating for incorporating the principles of smart growth. We also supported Palm Beach County's acquisition of 3,000 acres of land in this area for continued agricultural use, using bond money generated in the 2000 referendum which we helped promote. 1000 Friends began monitoring the development of the Sector Plan for 55,000 acres of land in northern Palm Beach County, advocating for a state-of-the-art computerized planning model that would address such things as greenways, regional drainage and roadway networks. In cooperation with the FAU/FIU Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems and citizens of the Limestone Creek community, 1000 Friends helped develop a "tool box" for redeveloping this traditional minority neighborhood without displacing current residents. Education—In cooperation with The Conservation Fund, 1000 Friends laid the foundation for a series of educational initiatives focusing on promoting smart growth in Palm Beach County, including beginning work on a citizen's handbook, an eight-page newspaper insert, and a series of community forums with an environmental, planning, and business focus. Advocacy—When the City of West Palm Beach simultaneously approved a commercial rezoning and a plan amendment for the same land, 1000 Friends threatened to litigate. As a result, the city changed its process, to undertake plan amendments first, and then do rezonings only after any plan challenge is resolved. 1000 Friends assisted citizens in the effort to halt the development of Munyon Island in the Lake Worth Lagoon. We protested the inappropriate development of Renaissance Village in the northern part of the county, and challenged a plan amendment that would change conservation land to residential use. We successfully advocated against a proposed alignment for Hood Road that would have negatively impacted a publicly owned preserve. Waterfronts Florida. A program of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, administered under contract by 1000 Friends, Waterfronts Florida provides support, training, innovative technical assistance, and limited financial assistance to communities striving to revitalize their traditional waterfront districts. Quarterly manager meetings covered boardwalk and wildlife observation platform design, grant opportunities, indicators to track revitalization progress, and successes in Cortez and Oak Hill. Workshops focused on economic revitalization strategies, overlooked and underused financial resources available to communities, and neighborhood design review and guidelines. Following are some of the local activities that took place under the auspices of Waterfronts Florida during 2000. Cortez began developing a memorial to local fishermen who died at sea over the years. The community also began actively participating in the redesign of Cortez Road to preserve the integrity of the community, promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and avoid road widening impacts. Mayport continued pursuing development of the Mayport Maritime Museum. The community also worked with the Florida Department of Transportation in the redesign of State Road A1A (Mayport's main street), with the goals of slowing traffic, adding pedestrian- and bicycle- friendly features, and installing traditional street lighting. Oak Hill began
constructing a wildlife lagoon observation platform, and is securing funding
to construct a city-managed fishing pier. To assist the city in the acquisition
of key waterfront parcels for redevelopment, the local Waterfronts committee
began developing an action plan and pursuing the acquisition of the needed parcels. St. Andrews laid the groundwork to establish a nonprofit organization to assist in their revitalization efforts and explored grant opportunities. Vilano Beach began developing a revitalization plan to establish a new town center. The plan will include design guidelines that emphasize "traditional" town planning principles. Construction began on two signature pavilions at either end of Vilano Beach Road, as well as a boardwalk linking residential areas to the proposed center. Promoting Affordable Housing 1000 Friends continued to play a leadership role in affordable housing in Florida, helping to increase funding for affordable housing, shape affordable housing policy, and provide education and technical assistance. Funding. In 2000, the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act generated over $175 million in state funds, and leveraged more than $2 billion in private and federal funding for affordable housing in Florida. 1000 Friends of Florida initiated the Sadowski Act Coalition in 1991 to establish this dedicated funding source, and reconvenes the coalition each year to monitor achievements and advocate for continued funding. Coalition partners include the Florida Home Builders Association, Florida Association of Realtors, Florida Association of Counties, Florida League of Cities, Florida Legal Services, Department of Community Affairs, Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Florida Impact, Florida Catholic Conference, Florida Housing Coalition, Florida Homeless Coalition, and Florida Coalition of Affordable Housing Providers. State Policy. Given the green light from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, 1000 Friends of Florida restructured the entire Predevelopment Loan Program (PLP), which had been plagued for over a decade by poor administration and bad rules. With approximately $9 million at its disposal, the PLP provides up-front monies to nonprofit organizations, including local governments. 1000 Friends revised the statute and rule, redesigning the program as a line of credit loan coupled with free technical assistance. After changes were finalized mid-year, 1000 Friends provided education around the state regarding the new program. 1000 Friends continued to advocate for the needs of the working poor (those earning between $12,000 and $15,000 per year), and successfully fought off numerous attempts to reverse past years' accomplishments in meeting the needs of the lowest income individuals. We assisted the Florida Housing Coalition and the Florida Coalition for the Homeless in launching the Supportive Housing Coalition, which will focus those individuals who need housing coupled with support services. Training and Technical Assistance. 1000 Friends placed special attention on the issues of mixed-income and inclusionary development in the year 2000. Our Affordable Housing Director provided training for the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the National Coalition of Community Development Corporations, the Housing Assistance Council's National Rural Housing Conference 2000, and numerous local governments and nonprofits. 1000 Friends also designed a Mixed-Income Housing Symposium for the Florida Housing Coalition's annual statewide conference. Giving Communities Legal Tools 1000 Friends continued to educate and negotiate to resolve difficult growth management issues. But when the need arose, we remained ready to litigate. Once again, we took on cases with statewide planning implications; we also played a key role in areas of the state facing particularly strong development challenges. We also continued our long tradition of providing assistance to numerous citizens around Florida seeking to improve the planning process in their communities. Important Victories for Florida. With significant ramifications for planning, 1000 Friends filed amicus briefs and received positive rulings from several courts. Upholding using comprehensive plans as a tool to curtail urban sprawl, the Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that Martin County's denial of a plan amendment to increase densities beyond its urban service area was not a taking, reversing a lower court decision which had awarded $4 million in damages to the would-be developer. In a victory for citizen standing, the Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld the right of a nonprofit organization to challenge a Putnam County permit to construct a middle school on the grounds that it was inconsistent with the comprehensive plan. In Leon County, 1000 Friends helped convince the First District Court of Appeal that comprehensive plan policies supersede the more technical land development regulations. The Florida Keys. 1000 Friends continued to closely monitor local and state planning activities in the Florida Keys, including a state draft hurricane evacuation study that tended to support widening of the "eighteen-mile stretch" of U.S. 1. 1000 Friends also began exploring interceding on behalf of Monroe County in the Ambrose case, in which several lot owners sued the county, alleging that because their lots were platted before 1974, they were "vested" from the current plan and regulations. Martin County. The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of 1000 Friends and Martin County by denying the City of Stuart's Future Annexation Area map that identified 8,000 acres for future annexation. 1000 Friends also successfully challenged amendments to the City of Stuart's comprehensive plan to allow annexations be developed by interlocal agreements. We continued our work to uphold the integrity of the county's wetland and upland ordinances, and opposed weakening the citizen participation process. St. Johns County. The First District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of 1000 Friends, affirming the right to seek a written response from the Department of Community Affairs regarding whether the St. Johns County comprehensive plan applied to a utility project being constructed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The Fifth District Court of Appeal, however, ruled against 1000 Friends, finding that these same utilities were not subject to the Growth Management Act. Other Activities. 1000 Friends intervened in several cases in 2000 awaiting rulings in 2001. In a joint brief with the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association before the Supreme Court of Florida, we sought clarification on whether small scale plan amendments are legislative or quasi-judicial in nature. 1000 Friends filed an amicus brief in support of the City of Sarasota's challenge of a decision of the Florida Department of Transportation to construct a fixed span bridge. 1000 Friends also challenged a series of plan amendments by the City of Newberry to annex some 10,000 acres, and authorize cement plants to be build in agricultural areas. Concluding Thoughts The year 2000 was one of change for 1000 Friends. Long-time Chairman Nathaniel P. Reed and President John M. DeGrove transitioned to emeritus status, and Allen Watts and Tim Jackson assumed the roles of President and Vice President of the organization. While 1000 Friends experienced a change in leadership, we remain committed to advocating for responsible refinement to this state's growth management process. We believe Florida can best accommodate new growth and development through strong growth management and environmental protection programs. Our vision for a healthy environment and high quality of life are the basis for the strong, sustainable economy we all desire. For more information on 1000 Friends and its activities, check out our ever-expanding web site at www.1000friendsofflorida.org.
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