INFORMATION: Property Rights on the Novemeber Ballot

[Leanne King]

Property rights
Private property: an extinct species?
COALITION for PROPERTY RIGHTS (CPR)
CPR urges you to oppose this amendment
It seems all but official…last week the announcement was made that a sufficient number of signatures has been obtained to place an amendment proposal to Florida’s Constitution on the November 2014 ballot.
What is it?
The ballot is entitled “Water and Land Conservation.” And it “dedicates funds to acquire and restore Florida conservation and recreation lands.” And does it ever!
The amendment will require 33 percent of net revenues from the existing excise tax on documents (the state documentary stamps on real estate transactions) for 20 years be placed in the “Land Acquisition Trust Fund.” That adds up to a potential of $10 Billion available to be spent. The monies will be designated to acquire land, manage lands, improve lands, and service debt on bond issues among other things.

CPR OPPOSES THIS AMENDMENT.

Who is behind this initiative?
The campaign is called, ‘Florida’s Water and Land Legacy.” It is being promoted by The Florida Conservation Coalition headed by Bob Graham, Lee Constantine, and Nathaniel Reed. It has the endorsement of many extreme environmentalist groups. And, it has been advised and funded by “The Conservation Campaign,” a Washington, DC organization that has generated more than $35 Billion in new public money (tax money) for land conservation.

AGAIN, CPR OPPOSED THIS AMENDMENT. WHY SHOULD YOU?
Do you think government should own massive amounts of land?
The American dream was founded upon the principle of private citizens owning property as a protection against the potential tyranny of the state. This principle, emphasizing owners with the freedom to prosper (through the achievement of an economic expectation) by using their land, is the reason our country has become the most exceptional in history. Large amounts of government owned lands threaten that dream for many reasons.
Do you know how much Florida land government owns?
Government already owns and controls more than 30% of Florida. In fact, more than 27% of Florida is already held in conservation. With additional government ownership of land, comes added government bureaucracy. For years, government has struggled to produce an accurate inventory of the lands it owns and controls. And, the funding to manage or maintain these lands has been less than adequate.
Will more money make government a better steward of Florida’s lands and finances?
Government is not the desired manager of money nor is it the best steward of property. Private Citizens are much better at accounting for and managing money and property. In fact, Randall Holcombe, in a 2009 article written for the James Madison Institute, documented how private land management firms could manage acreage at a much lower cost than the state. The plans described in his study were never attempted because government bureaucracy got it the way.

Have you ever considered what happens when government owns and controls land?
1. Our tax dollars (a lot of them) are spent to purchase the land. Since 2001, nearly $3 Billion of your tax dollars have been spent to buy land for conservation.
2. Additional tax dollars must now be spent to maintain those lands including the hiring of more state employees (increasing the size of government) and the purchase of more equipment and facilities.
3. When property goes unmaintained, it can become a safety hazard to other people and their property (as illustrated by Florida’s brush fires).
4. Once government controls land, it often becomes “off-limits” to “We the People” even though we theoretically own them. No trespassing signs often dominate the fences forming the boundaries of “state owned” lands.
5. When government owns and controls property, the natural resources of those properties become untouchable.
6. Land placed in conservation usually sits fallow and makes little to no contribution to our state’s economy.
7. Parcels owned and controlled by the state are taken off the tax rolls. This places an additional burden on local government and local citizens to fund their own local needs of things like education, local fire & safety, local infrastructure improvements, etc.

CPR urges you to oppose this amendment for the following reasons:
8. Eroding the amount of privately owned property erodes the American dream. Our Founding Fathers understood an important principle: the right to property that ensures the other rights we enjoy and is a defense against tyranny.
9. Private property ownership leads to maintenance and wiser use. Before entrusting government with more money to buy land, it should be held accountable and demonstrate its ability as a wise steward to maintain what is currently owned.
10. This amendment creates and funds additional government bureaucracy that will be neither accountable nor efficient.
11. Florida currently has action plans and agencies (such as the Department of Environmental Protection) which are positioned to balance the purchase and management of land while coordinating those plans with protecting Florida’s water quantity and quality. Funding allocated to fulfilling those plans (already approved and in action) would be a much better use than putting billions into the hands of narrow, special interest groups, many of which have an extreme environmentalist philosophy. In closing, consider two opposing philosophies of those who wish to direct our future:

The special interest, extreme environmentalist/sustainable development philosophy is expressed in this preamble quote from the United Nations (UN) Habitat 1 Conference, held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.

“Land…cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice; if unchecked, it may become a major obstacle in the planning and implementation of development schemes...Public control of land use is therefore indispensable to its protection…”
This activity has a direct tie to the UN Agenda 21. Read just this small piece related to those who believe in this GLOBAL AGENDA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability_and_environmental_manag...

Alternatively, the principle and value which made America the land of the free and the home of the brave is expressed in this quote by Virginia Colonist and Founding Father Arthur Lee in 1775,
“The right of property is the guardian of every other right, and to deprive people of this is in fact to deprive them of their liberty.”
Perhaps, rather than increasing land purchase, it would enhance liberty and be more beneficial to the potential property owners in Florida to consider lowering the high cost of current doc stamp tax taxes by a third.

You are urged to inform others as to the threats this amendment poses and support CPR as we stand in opposition. Unlike the well-funded special interests, we depend upon property rights advocates like you.

Link to the full amendment:
http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/pages/126/the-florida-water-and-l...

http://proprights.com/ The CPR website

(This link will provide you with unlimited information on what has been happening in Florida as related to our property rights/state action and Agenda 21)

The CPR Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/proprights

Most of the information provided in this communication was obtained from the Coalition for Property Rights website.

The only action on this item for now is to ask each of you to continue to learn more about this future amendment and to share the information with others.

Thank you
God Bless you and may GOD BLESS OUR AMERICA

Leanne

One final bright note to make you aware of.

     The First Coast Tea Party has a new office administrator!  And,she is a member of the Northside group.  Babs Jordan has taken on this position and our office is manned Monday through Thursday from 10:00 to 3:00.  If you haven’t visited the office before or need information, material or have questions, stop by the office and Babs will be there to assist you.

[amanda choate]

When referring to state consevation lands then the percentage then becomes 14%. These include marine sanctuaries. Water management districts. All inland navigable waters. Wetlands. By conserving these lands we protect them from those who have no interest in anything but their own profits. I mentioned in a previous post some of the degradation of natural resources that have occurred as a result private interests. Water is our most precious resource. We have grown to nearly 20 million residents. We have to manage this resource. Lack of water will slow our growth more than anything. But really, lets tax those who use it. They drain our aquifers at very little cost. Time to pay their fair share. Let the legislature afix the costs to those who benefit tge most.

[Paul Davis]

 That 30 percent "Government owned land" includes the state highway system and local road systems, schools, hospitals, police and fire stations. Hardly a useless waste of resources. Though not on the tax rolls, it actually does contribute toward a productive economy and social good. It's easy to throw around figures to make a point, but beware of dishonest advocates for a cause.

"Figures don't lie, but liars can figure."

[Patricia M. McBride]

Military bases on are FEDERAL LAND period.  FEDERAL PARKS are considered FEDERAL LAND.   The post offices are federal and the land is considered federal land, and all federal facilities are also considered federal land.  If you are going to comment and make sense, first you need to separate federal from what we are talking about here and that is the state buying land to add to land that is already owned by the state.The feds own and maintain all those lands that are federal., so these folks will not need a dime nor would they be welcome to come in and mess around with federal anything!

[amanda choate]

So all that government owned land in Florida, that sure seems like a lot of land. What's included: military bases including Eglin AFB, the notion that these lands lie fallow and don't produce revenue is ridiculous. If you think so try closing a military base. It also includes Everglades National Park, land that US Sugar should be entrusted with protecting. It also includes all inland navigable waters. It also includes all the streets and highways. Schools. Government buildings. Canaveral National Seashore. Kennedy Space Center. Our state parks. Post offices.
But this land will be used to conserve our natural resources. Mainly wetlands that are a major source of recharging the Floridan Aquifer. Providing places for hunters and fisherman to enjoy the beauty our state holds. Go to Talbot or Little Talbot. Ochlochnee, White or High Springs. Wakulla State Park. Any of our woodland areas, they are nearby. Which of these goverment lands would you turn over to phosphate mining. We are spending a fortune to restore the Everglades from years of misuse by agribusiness. Lake Apoka was devastated by "private" stewardship.
But I do have a better way to pay for it. Charge fees to businesses that pump billions of gallons of water out of state for free. That seems fair.

[Wayne Humphrey]

Once they have the money, all they have to do is exercise eminent domain, and then they'll just take your keys.

[Patricia M. McBride]

It just never ends, does it.