development

VoteWater endorsement: Christopher Collins, Martin County Commissioner District 2

August 12, 2026

VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Christopher Collins for Martin County Commissioner, District 2. Collins, a former Stuart City Commissioner and Mayor, has been an aggressive and sometimes controversial advocate for cleaner water. Shortly after taking office…

VoteWater endorsement: Amanda Cochran, Lee County County Commissioner, District 5

August 12, 2026

VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Amanda Cochran for Lee County Commissioner, District 5. “Growth in Lee County is outpacing infrastructure and threatens wetlands, waterways and the natural beauty so many residents cherish,” said VoteWater Executive Director…

VoteWater endorses Amanda Cochran for Lee County Commissioner, District 5

June 25, 2026

VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Amanda Cochran for Lee County Commissioner, District 5. “Growth in Lee County is outpacing infrastructure and threatens wetlands, waterways and the natural beauty so many residents cherish,” said VoteWater Executive Director…

Something is shifting in Florida politics – and developers should be worried

May 28, 2026

When Byron Donalds thinks Florida’s growth is out of control, you know things are bad. Last week Donalds, the Southwest Florida Congressman now running for Governor, told a crowd in St. Petersburg that managing growth is integral to protecting the…

WHO DECIDES?: Lawmakers push bills to override local communities

January 29, 2026

You think you know what’s best for your community? Lawmakers in faraway Tallahassee disagree. Indeed, this year there are multiple bills in the state Legislature with a single goal: Taking power away from local communities. Some of them involve straight-up…

Sprawl, powered by ‘dirty money’

January 22, 2026

State campaign finance data for the fourth quarter of 2025 has dropped, and initially we were going to write about how much Big Sugar gave last year. And in fact, we WILL write about it, right here: According to the…

Developers, Legislators want to shut you out – and shut you up

January 15, 2026

The Florida Legislature is now in session. What could possibly go wrong? In fact, the sheer number of bad bills filed this year is stunning. Many involve attempts to push more “sprawl” through the pipeline with less public oversight. There…

Six bills, one agenda: Sen. McClain pushes pro-development blitz

December 11, 2025

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…

Will the Florida Legislature protect clean water in 2026?

October 9, 2025

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…

You get what you pay for – and that’s why developers give so much

August 1, 2024

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”…

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