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Commissioner wants growth bill vetoed

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By MIKE SALINERO

msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: May 6, 2009

TAMPA - Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe will ask fellow board members today to oppose legislation critics say will open the door to sprawling development and clogged roads.

Senate Bill 360, passed by the Legislature last week, eliminates state review of regional development and sharply limits developers' responsibility to improve roads when their projects increase traffic in an area.

Sharpe wants the commission to urge Gov. Charlie Crist to veto the bill.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, said he wants to cut red tape that slows development. Bennett said multiple development reviews by government agencies discourage businesses from coming to Florida.

"What you had was a process so loaded with bureaucracy that nobody could get anything done," he said.

Opponents say the bill cripples key elements of the 1985 growth management law. For instance, under current law, the state must review large projects with effects felt across city and county lines. The new bill would eliminate the review for cities and counties defined as Dense Urban Land Areas. Eight counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, would be affected.

Another major change is how the bill treats "transportation concurrency," the requirement that adequate roads be in place to serve a development when it is built or soon after. The bill exempts areas from transportation concurrency if they are in a county's urban service area - where sewer and water are available - and if the population exceeds 1,000 people a square mile.

Critics say the exemption will force commissioners to approve development in areas where roads are clogged.

"The way this bill is written, ... our local governments will not be able to say no to a plan amendment or rezoning without a lawsuit by the developer," said Denise Layne, a lobbyist for the Hillsborough-based Coalition 4 Responsible Growth.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

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