Urban Sprawl
Florida Sen. Stan McClain comes off as an affable guy — the type of person you might like to get a beer with. But after seeing the legislation he’s filed ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session, you may want to…
If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out the Tampa Bay Times blockbuster two-part series on how Florida’s water quality is getting worse almost across the board — in large part because Florida lets special interests (developers, Big…
Given the continued breakneck pace of growth in Florida, we highly doubt that rogue local government regulators are roaming Florida, coming down like a ton of unjust bricks on the head of poor, persecuted developers. But you might be tempted…
The Florida Legislature is soon in session, and we’d like to think clean water will be atop the 2026 agenda. We’re not putting money on it, though, so we’ll be watching our lawmakers very closely this session – and we…
Every year when the Florida legislative session convenes, we can expect a barrage of bad bills destined to coddle polluters, facilitate ever-more “sprawl” and restrict citizens’ rights to participate in decision-making. The 2025 session lives up — or down —…
For weeks Florida legislators have been meeting in committee, filing and debating bills and preparing for the official start of the 2025 Legislative Session on March 4. This session VoteWater’s Gil Smart will travel to Tallahassee to lobby for clean-water…
County commissioners throughout Florida are constantly being asked by developers to change zonings or amend comprehensive plans, to leapfrog the urban services boundaries and more. As you’ve noticed as you sit in endless traffic, elected officials almost always say “yes”…
If you missed the latest installment from “Seeking Rents” reporter Jason Garcia on how a big Florida homebuilder effectively wrote a new law to build subdivisions faster and cheaper, check it out here. It’s key to understanding how the “sprawl”…
Last week the Martin County Board of County Commissioners sided with a developer over clean water and constituents, approving a project known as “The Ranch” (formerly “Calusa Creek”) which will be some 6,000 feet — that is, more than a…
We’ve spend a lot of time and space analyzing the dreck oozing from Tallahassee this session, the terrible bills and bad ideas destined to result in dirtier water, more reckless development and more citizen intimidation. This week, let’s take a…