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Pasco Official's Magic Words

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 10, 2009

Pasco County commissioners did the right thing earlier this week by raising so many legitimate objections a developer withdrew ill-conceived plans for a 266-home subdivision in a rural-protection area outside Dade City.

But the meeting was a revelation for another reason.

Commissioner Michael Cox said what too few Florida county and municipal officials are willing to say when facing developers, land use attorneys and consultants. These interests often seem to think they are entitled to whatever they want - regardless of the impact on the community or taxpayers. Cox was having none of that.

"I think this is junk," Cox told the spokesman for the developers of Berry Hill, proposed for 402 acres of pastureland along Blanton Road in the Blanton community

"You keep going back to the point that you need 266 (homes) for it to be economically feasible. That's not our problem."

Cox is absolutely right. County officials' concern should be the community's welfare, not developers' profits. Too often taxpayers end up footing the bill for a development's impact on roads, schools and other infrastructure.

Only in recent years has Pasco sought to more equitably distribute the costs of growth, charging higher impact fees on development and seeking to encourage construction where infrastructure exists. But it's a disgrace the county has already approved more than 300,000 housing units that have yet to be built, according to the Urban Land Institute.

After Cox's stern rebuke, the developers decided to withdraw their plans. It's possible another version could be resubmitted. But the commission's strong stand showed it respects the county's growth policies and taxpayers' wallets.

Elected officials throughout the state should consider its example.

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