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Studies and Polls If you find that a link does not work, please let us know! FSU Study on Citizen Attitudes (Released 2006) Dr. Tim Chapin, Florida State University Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, did a survey for the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida on about 30 polls measuring citizen attitudes about growth management over the last five years. Dr. Chapin's findings are remarkably similar to those from the statewide poll 1000 Friends conducted in 2000. Based on his underlying finding that there are numerous statistically valid measurements of citizen attitudes towards growth and development in Florida, he found:
Click here to view the study. The Health Effects of Sprawl (Released August 2003) A new national study finds that residents of sprawling counties are more likely to be obese or have high blood pressure, and that the increased risk is associated with living in auto-oriented areas that suppress walking. Calculations based on the study's findings show that Florida residents in outlying Nassau and Clay counties in the Jacksonville metro area and Hernando County in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area are more likely to have hypertension and be obese than residents in the more urbanized Dade (Miami), Broward (Fort Lauderdale), Pinellas (St. Petersburg), Orange (Orlando), Duval (Jacksonville), and Hillsborough (Tampa) counties. Study calculations also reveal that an average resident of Nassau County is likely to weigh about one and a quarter pounds more than an average resident of Dade County. From a public health standpoint, this is a significant difference. The study controlled for factors such as sex, age, education, and race or ethnicity. For more information, click here. Mean Streets
2002
(Released November 2002) Florida has five of the nation's six most dangerous large metropolitan area for walking, according to a new national report that says dangerous street design and a lack of investment in pedestrian safety are to blame. The metro areas include Orlando (1), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (2), West Palm Beach-Boca Raton (3), Jacksonville (5), and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (6). Some of the most dangerous roads in the nation include U.S. 19 in Pasco and Pinellas Counties (accounting for an average of 16 pedestrian fatalities a year), U.S. 1 in Broward and Dade Counties (12 per year), and S.R. 50 in Orange County (7 per year). The report, Mean Streets 2002, reveals that 994 pedestrians died in Florida in 2000 and 2001. Released in November 2002, the report was prepared by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. Click here for more information. Measuring Sprawl and Its Impact (Released October 2002) People who live in more sprawling places drive more, face a greater risk of dying in a traffic crash, and breathe more polluted air than people in less sprawling areas, according to a new national study. The report, Measuring Sprawl and Its Impact, uses a sophisticated new sprawl measure crated by Rutgers and Cornell Universities. Florida's metropolitan areas ranged across the spectrum, from West Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Delray Beach which ranked as the sixth most sprawling of the 83 communities from across the nation that were studied, to Miami/Hialeah, which ranked 75th. While West Palm Beach was around average in terms of residential density and street network, it fared poorly in terms of land use mix and presence of town centers. Miami, on the other hand, was near average in terms of its mix, but scored better in terms of housing density, street network and centers. Other Florida metropolitan areas included in the study were Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater (ranked 22), Jacksonville (28), Orlando (40), and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood/Pompano Beach (55). The report also includes a brief case study on Ft. Lauderdale, noting that while it received a similar overall ranking to Tuscon, Arizona, there are significant differences in the ways the two communities sprawl. Tuscon scores above average on mix of neighborhood uses and focus on activity centers, while Ft. Lauderdale does much better than average on street accessibility and residential density. Click here for more information. Sprawl in Florida - A Conversation With the Experts (Released February 2002) Sprawling development patterns have left their mark on Florida over the past 50 years. In the fall of 2001, Florida PIRG Education Fund engaged seven individuals with a long-standing interest in and knowledge of land use issues in a broad discussion of public policy issues related to sprawl. Those interviewed include former Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham, 1000 Friends of Florida Executive Director Charles Pattison, Gainesville City Commissioner Pegeen Hanrahan, environmental attorney Tom Reese, Defenders of Wildlife Florida Director Laurie Macdonald, Nova Southeastern University law professor Richard Grosso, and University of Florida professor emeritus of planning and 1000 Friends of Florida founder Earl Starnes. Click here to review this February 2002 report prepared by the Florida Public Interest Research Group (FPIRG). Martin County Residents Strongly Support Managing Growth (Foresight, Fall 2001) In a telephone poll in 2000, Martin County residents revealed their views about growth management, environmental protection policies, and life in their community. The result was "overwhelming support for environmental protection and growth management in Martin County," according to Charles Pattison, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, which commissioned the poll. Interestingly, 81 percent of the respondents felt their county could have both a clean environment and a strong economy, without having to choose one over the other. "We believe this poll reflects the strong public sentiment for continuing the tradition of protecting Martin County's high quality of life through effective planning," said Pattison. Asked about growth management policies, Martin County's citizens had strong ideas about which direction to take. • 97
percent felt "we should leave behind a clean and healthy environment
for our children and grandchildren." Additionally, by a seven-to-one margin, the respondents supported limits on building new roads into environmentally sensitive areas. More than 80 percent supported strict rules on where to locate new development, limiting the clearing of native vegetation to prevent pollution from runoff, and helping to protect rural areas by encouraging new development on already-developed land. Over half also supported purchasing farmlands to prevent their sale for development. Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike supported maintaining or strengthening the county's growth controls, not relaxing them. Over half the respondents said they believed Martin County is growing too fast, compared with close to 30 percent who were satisfied with the pace of growth. Despite concerns, almost half felt that Martin County is becoming a better place to live. Those polled ranked environmental/growth management groups as the most trustworthy in providing fair and accurate information about growth, development and the environment. The telephone survey, conducted April 13-18, 2001, was designed and directed by deHaven-Smith & Associates. The sample included 303 registered voters in Martin County, which produced a confidence interval of +/-6 percent. Click here for more detailed survey results. Floridians Express Strong Support for Growth Management (Foresight, Spring 2001) A statewide survey reveals that 90 percent of Florida voters support either managing or limiting growth, with 69 percent agreeing with the statement that "growth can go on as long as we manage it carefully and keep a close watch on the number of people and businesses that move into our area," and another 21 percent believing "growth has gotten so out of control that further development should be placed on hold at least for a time to allow the area to cope with its problems." Only 9 percent agreed with the statement that "growth is inevitable, and we should not try to stop it." The survey was conducted on February 11-13 by The Tarrance Group of Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. This telephone survey of 800 registered voters has a margin of error of + 3.5 percent. Other findings related to growth management include: • 89
percent of voters say environmental issues are important to them in making
a vote decision, with 8 percent saying environmental issues are not very
important and 4 percent saying they are not at all important when making
a vote decision. These findings support a poll conducted by 1000 Friends in April 2000 (see below). As the state contemplates changes to Florida's growth management system, it should heed the wishes of its citizens. Americans Want Smart Growth Tired of traffic and unchecked sprawl, Americans are ready for some changes. This was the consensus in a September 2000 poll commissioned by Smart Growth America, a new national coalition. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents supported policies to curb sprawl. More than 80 percent supported maintaining services, schools, and infrastructure in established communities before subsidizing new sprawl. Also in the majority were supporters for other smart growth principles, including: increasing coordination among towns to plan for growth (85%); establishing zones for green space, farming, and forests that are off limit to development (83%); offering tax credits and low-interest loans for revitalizing cities and rural communities (81%); offering tax credits and low-interest loans to rehabilitate historic homes and revitalize neighborhoods (78%); making neighborhoods more pedestrian-friendly instead of building new highways (77%); using tax dollars to buy land for parks and open space and to protect wildlife (77%); requiring all new residential development to have at least 15 percent affordable housing (66%); and, investing in public transit even if it reduces funding available for highway construction (60%). "We've definitely touched a nerve, said Don Chen, director of the Washington, D.C.-based coalition. "People believe that sprawl and traffic are out of control, and the vast majority want more open space, reliable public transit and neighborhood reinvestment. All the evidence shows that Americans support smarter growth, and our elected officials had better start paying attention." For more information, check out the web site at www.smartgrowthamerica.com. Mayors and Mortgage Bankers Poll Shows Support for Urban Revitalization In October of 2000, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Mortgage Bankers Association of America released a poll showing that both city and suburban residents support using tax dollars to revitalize central cities. Typical of the findings, 68 percent of city residents and 66 percent of suburbanites say rebuilding cities and relying more on public transportation is the most effective way to reduce sprawl and traffic congestion. Additionally, 81 percent of city and 73 percent of suburban residents support using tax dollars for public transportation improvements in their community. More than half of both groups support discouraging overdevelopment of suburban areas. More poll results are available at www.usmayors.org. Florida in Top Ten List Again (Foresight, Winter 2000) A new study identifies the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater as two of the nation's most expensive metro areas for commuting and other local transportation. The study by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology finds sprawl is driving up transportation expenses. Driven to Spend uses Consumer Expenditure Survey data to rank 28 large metropolitan areas by what portion of household expenditures are devoted to transportation. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale ranks fourth, with households spending an average of 19 cents out of every dollar on transportation, or $6,684 annually. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ranks tenth. Households there spend an average of 17.8 cents out of every dollar on transportation. In fact, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater households spend less on average for shelter each year–$5,761–than they do on transportation–$5,864. In June, STPP released another study, Mean Streets 2000, which revealed that Florida has the dubious honor of having five of the ten most dangerous large metropolitan areas in the nation for walking, due in large part to sprawling, auto-oriented streets. The metro areas were identified as Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (number 1), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (number 3), Orlando (number 4), Jacksonville (number 5), and West Palm Beach-Boca Raton (number 7). For more information on these studies, check out STPP's web site at www.transact.org. Floridians Say, "Don't Weaken Growth Management" (Foresight, Summer 2000) When some legislators during the 2000 legislative session contended that there was widespread public dissatisfaction with growth management, our ears perked up. When they went on to say that, therefore, the growth management process should be weakened to make it easier to develop in this state, our instincts told us that this was not the case. However, at 1000 Friends, we knew that "our instincts" would not carry much weight before a legislature bent on dramatic change. To get the true picture, 1000 Friends commissioned a professional statewide poll to find out what Floridians really thought. We found that our instincts were correct, as on a number of different fronts Floridians expressed their opposition to making it easier to pave over the Sunshine State. Of the survey respondents: • 80
percent were strongly or somewhat opposed to making it harder for citizens
to challenge new development. Perhaps most disturbing, the survey indicated that 60 percent of Floridians were totally unaware that the legislature was talking about changing Florida's growth management laws. Another 30 percent had heard only a little about it. Thus, nine out of ten Floridians did not fully understand what was, or may be, happening in the legislature. More than 70 percent of respondents indicated that they would be inclined to vote against legislators who played a role in relaxing growth management and environmental laws in Florida. Not surprising, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents were almost equal in their opposition to weakening growth management, and women were more inclined than men to oppose such changes. The longer the respondents had lived in Florida, the stronger their opposition to weakening growth management. Registered voters were more likely to oppose weakening the process, as were those age 40 and older. Native Americans and whites were the most likely and Asians least likely to oppose weakening growth management. Interestingly, level of income did not appear to impact views on growth management. 1000 Friends quickly shared these results with the press and the legislature. Over the coming year we will continue to use this information in our ongoing effort to promote reasonable refinement to Florida's Growth Management Act. Newspaper coverage of growth management and related issues was outstanding in most parts of the state during this past session. Still, 90 percent of Floridians had little or no awareness of the proposed changes. This indicates to us that over the coming year, it is essential that we explore other avenues and develop other mechanisms to reach the general public on this critical issue. The survey was conducted of 439 adult Floridians who were year-round residents and at least 18 years old. The margin of error was 5 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. Interviewing was conducted April 21-25, 2000, using Random Digit Dialing. Assistance on question wording and data analysis was provided as a public service by Dr. Lance deHaven-Smith of Florida State University. The poll was conducted by Cherry Communications Company in Tallahassee. Due to time and funding constraints, this poll was limited in the number of questions asked. In the coming months, 1000 Friends hopes to collaborate with other supporters of effective growth management to conduct a more in-depth poll of attitudes on this vital issue. Growth Management Leadership Alliance Survey Results The Growth Management Leadership Alliance is a coalition of more than 30 statewide and regional organizations devoted to promoting smarter growth. Click here for the results of a survey conducted to identify how long these organizations have been in existence, their funding sources and other information. 1000 Friends'
Smart Growth Questionnaire Results Are In
(Foresight, Spring 2000) As the Legislature sets out to revise Florida's 1985 Growth Management Act, 1000 Friends asked Foresight readers to express their views on how growth management is working and what can be done to improve it. The responses and opinions will help 1000 Friends of Florida develop recommendations on promoting smarter growth in the state. The following is a brief synopsis of the questionnaire results. Although
some survey participants feel the quality of life in their communities
is about the same (17 percent) or worse (16 percent), the majority (59
percent) feel their quality of life is better than if there were no state-mandated
comprehensive planning for the last decade. Most indicate that local comprehensive
plans have been effective in protecting the general quality of life (79
percent), the environment (56 percent), the character of established neighborhoods
(60 percent), and significant historical resources (61 percent), as well
as encouraging downtown revitalization (55 percent). Asked to comment on the oversight provided by the DCA in the implementation of city and county comprehensive plans, respondents generally agreed that oversight has not been extensive enough (49 percent for city and 65 percent for county). The majority of respondents favor strengthening state oversight of local comprehensive planning (60 percent) and increasing technical assistance (73 percent). A vast majority express the need for increased state funding and incentives (92 percent) to encourage better planning and make local comprehensive plans more effective. Most respondents also agree that local comprehensive plans would be made more effective by strengthening regional planning and coordination (86 percent), allowing for greater citizen participation (82 percent), and including provisions for natural preservation (79 percent), historic preservation (93 percent), affordable housing (98 percent) and improved/multimodal transportation planning (90 percent). In addition, an overwhelming majority (98 percent) are convinced that there should be an agreement on how a community will pay for schools, roads, and other public services prior to approval of new development. 1000 Friends would like to thank everyone who completed a questionnaire. Thanks to your responses, we will be able to improve our understanding of growth issues in Florida and develop recommendations for smarter growth. 1000 Friends of Florida gratefully acknowledges the assistance of DeHaven-Smith and Associates in the development and tabulation of this survey. Results from Florida Department of Community Affairs Survey, December 1999 To determine how to revise Florida's growth management process, in the fall of 1999 Florida's Department of Community Affairs conducted a survey to determine Floridians' views on growth and growth management. Here is a brief summary of some of the results: Most
serious growth management problems: Recommendations
for improvement We're Not Getting the Word Out (Foresight, Fall 1998) By Vivian Young, Communications/Development Director Everyone understands the connection between land use decisions and protecting the environment, right? Not according to a comprehensive study on Floridians' attitudes toward environmental education needs. Sponsored by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's Advisory Council on Environmental Education (ACEE), the study reports, "Floridians just aren't putting together the fact that Florida's population growth and subsequent development are an important cause of environmental problems in Florida." On the, other hand, for environmental educators, scientists, and natural resource administrators, growth issues and land management were "a top concern." A Needs Assessment for Environmental Education in Florida, conducted by Mark Damian Duda and Associates, was completed in February of 1998. It includes surveys of environmental professionals and the general public. "These findings will help provide much needed focus to environmental education efforts around Florida," said Jerrie Lindsey of the ACEE. The group typically grants over a million dollars a year to such projects, with funds generated from the Florida Panther and Manatee license plates. After water resources, land use and growth management were the second highest environmental education priority among the environmental professionals. Specifically, they felt efforts should focus on planning/habitat protection (47 percent), sustainable development (11 percent), the role of citizens in planning/ legislation (9 percent), and urban sprawl (7 percent). A disturbing finding was that "57 percent of Floridians reported they knew little to nothing about environmental issues related to growth and development," and only I I percent indicated they were interested in learning more about these issues. Those who felt growth and development should be given a high priority included Floridians with graduate or professional degrees, those aged 25-34 and 45-54, independent voters, sailors, and fresh water anglers. Those least likely to feel they were a priority included residents aged 65 and older, and those 18-24 years old. Duda and Associates concluded that effective targeting of the 18-24 year olds would entail "showing the relationship between overdevelopment and habitat destruction to endangered species." Senior citizens pose unique challenges to the environmental education community," and "trial" education programs should be attempted. In general, Floridians reported learning most about this state's natural resources from newspapers and television. Duda and Associates recommended that educators:
This study provides valuable guidance on environmental and land use education efforts. For further information, contact Ms. Jerrie Lindsey of the Advisory Council on Environmental Education at 850-487-0123.
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