WASHINGTON, DC – November 5, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Members of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and other real estate and business interests achieved a significant victory on Tuesday with the defeat of Amendment 4 in Florida. If passed, the amendment would have required the state’s voters to approve all local comprehensive land use plan changes, rather than having those changes approved or rejected by city and county commissions. The amendment needed 60 percent of the vote for approval; however, 67 percent of voters rejected the measure. The outcome of the vote is expected to set a national precedent for other states.
“The defeat of Amendment 4 yesterday by Florida voters is an important milestone for commercial real estate, businesses and communities around the country,” commented BOMA International Chair Ray H. Mackey, Jr., RPA, CPM, CCIM, partner and chief operating officer, Stream Realty Partners, L.P. “Voters clearly recognized that if passed, the amendment would have increased taxes and derailed growth in an already fragile economy.”
BOMA International and BOMA Florida leveraged Industry Defense Funds to join other real estate organizations in Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, a coalition of more than 200 organizations that oppose the initiative, to protect commercial real estate’s interests. Other members of the coalition include NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, the American Resort Development Association, NAIOP of Florida, the Florida Apartment Association and other business groups.
Spearheading the campaign to get Amendment 4 approved was a group of environmental lawyers who founded Florida Hometown Democracy, a special interest group. More than half of its funding comes from Floridians for a Sustainable Populations, a population control group.Had the amendment passed, it is estimated that the average voter would be expected to decide about 200 to 300 intricate land-use planning amendments each year. Local governments would be forced to use taxpayer dollars to fund additional elections or would have to wait until the next election to list out all of the changes proposed to a comprehensive land use plan. A recent study published by the Washington Economics Group showed that Amendment 4 would cost Florida 260,000 jobs and reduce its economic output by more than $34 billion per year.
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About BOMA International:
Founded in 1907, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is an international federation of more than 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. The 16,500-plus members of BOMA International own or manage more than nine billion square feet of commercial properties in North America and abroad. BOMA’s mission is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research, standards and information. On the Web at www.boma.org.
Contact:
Lindsay Tiffany
Manager of Media Relations
BOMA International
ltiffany (at) boma (dot) org or (202) 326-6365
