 Over 20 years of Service On April 14, 1989, an organization was born with the mission of controlling growth and development in Sarasota County in a way that protects residents, taxpayers and the environment. Originally named GEO and changed in 2003 to Control Growth Now, our grassroots citizens group has had a major impact on the growth and environmental policies of Sarasota County and its cities.
 The CGN Agenda
Leading state and local politicians are calling for weaker controls on development, to allow more traffic congestion, taxpayer subsidies of developers and environmental harm in order to spur even more of the overdevelopment that has crashed our economy. Control Growth Now has a six-point plan to counter these schemes, in order to protect our homes and our community.
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Green Light
to Gridlock?
State Growth Laws
Have Been Repealed.
Now City and County
Commissioners
Will Decide Whether
To Allow Developers To
Overcrowd Our Roads.
Tell The Politicians:
Don’t Give a Green
Light to Gridlock.
Click the green light on the traffic light above to follow this story... |
County Moving To Gut Public Protections
Bad news for the public interest from the public hearings of the Sarasota County Commission Wednesday, January 26, 2011.
Impact Fees
The County Commission voted 4 to 1, with Jon Thaxton dissenting, to approve a 50% cut in the County’s road impact fees and a permanent repeal of a 38% increase which was scheduled to begin March 1.
This leaves road impact fees at only 34% of what the County’s expert consultant said they should be for development to pay its own way for the new and wider roads needed to serve development.
The result will be a shifting of the cost of roads to serve development onto the backs of the taxpaying public or cuts in the road program or both. From the discussion at the Commission meeting it appears that it will be both.
The Fruitville Initiative
How about a $350,000 taxpayer subsidy of developers, with much more to come?
How about funding that at a time when the County is cutting back library hours, law enforcement, parks and other public needs?
How about putting it all together in a series of secret meetings between property owners and public officials in violation of the Sunshine Law?
Well, all of that was approved by a vote of the County Commission, without a public hearing, on February 10, 2010.
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