Lesley Blackner, someone who really cares

I first met Lesley Blackner in 2008 when she was behind Florida Hometown Democracy. This vote, if it had passed, would have meant that we the people and residents of Florida would have control on what our communities would look like when it came to growth--not three people on a dais. It made sense to me then and it still does more than ever especially when you see what the Palm Beach County Commission has done to our western county.

1,681,393 people voted for the amendment but the monied people caused its defeat. The grassroots didn't stand a chance against all that clout. Special interests with deep pockets were against us back then:  The Chamber of Commerce, Realtors, Developers, The League of Cities and even our greedy local business owners got into the act. Katie McGiveron debated around the county for Amendment 4.

Today, Lesley and her husband are in the news. They have filed a $6.5 million lawsuit against Barclays Bank as they allege that the bank did not warn them of the risks.

Read about it...

Palm Beach has become a Port-O-Let

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Save Our Neighborhood attorney, Lesley Blackner, wrote a piece for The Shiny Sheet:

Special to the PB Daily News--

Recently, I was asked by a Londoner who’s never been to Palm Beach to describe this gilded island. She asked me what the island’s landmarks are. She probably thought I’d mention Mar-a-Lago, The Breakers, Billionaires Row or Worth Avenue. I thought about it and said:

Imagine a place where even shacks sell for millions. Imagine a place where every block and every major road is torn up with construction. You can’t hear the birds for the unrelenting noise of demolition and construction. As for landmarks, London has the red telephone booth. Palm Beach has the port-a-potty. You can’t go a block without seeing and smelling one. Until very recently, I could stand on the sidewalk in front of my home and view four port-a-potties. (Now there are “only” three.)

The other day I rode my bike through town (weaving in and out of the obstacle course that the roads have become) and counted 17 separate port-a-potties and new construction on nearly every street. I didn’t cover the entire island and only rode for one hour. I’ve been out many mornings walking my dogs when a port-a-potty truck shows up to do its thing and pick up a load. Hold your breath and run far away.

My acquaintance was shocked, saying, “All the big New York money is fleeing to Palm Beach.” Yes, that is true. The money wants to live in Palm Beach. However that may be, the Palm Beach Town Council must still run the place. The Town Council is charged with protecting the “health, welfare and safety” of the town residents. Council members are decidedly NOT charged with allowing uncontrolled construction to ruin our quality of life. Why can’t they stagger building and road construction? Must the whole town be torn up 24/7? In my opinion the Town Council is not doing its job.

When my son was little, he would say, “Could I have a piece of quiet?” I think of that now when I see and smell what Palm Beach has become.

LESLEY BLACKNER Palm Beach
PB Daily News

Quote of the Day - Lesley Blackner

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"Here's all you need to know about "growth management" Florida style:

1.  If the local government gives you what you want, it's called Home Rule and so very awesome!

2.  If the local yahoos don't give you what you want and you have a lot of money at stake, you go to the legislature and get a law passed for you.  Because that's what Tallahassee does: it takes care of monied, politically plugged in 'interests'.

There isn't a grand-overarching intellectual structure of land use in Florida.  There is merely politics.  If you can't get what you want through the front door, you go through the back door."

~ Lesley Blackner, Environmental Law

Read the article... at the Palm Beach Post.

Supermajority vote in Palm Beach

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Letters to the Editor

Palm Beach Daily News
January 17, 2015

Supermajority rule will help prevent over-development

By LESLEY BLACKNER

Kudos to the Town Council for passing a supermajority requirement for comprehensive plan and zoning changes. One more vote will now be required to obtain a zoning or a comprehensive plan change.

Here’s why the supermajority is beneficial to the future of Palm Beach: An applicant seeking a zoning or a comprehensive plan change doesn’t want to abide by the existing rules on the books. These rules are established after much time and effort, and are designed to protect the well-being of the entire community. But the applicant for a change says: Give me a special deal. Such “deals” should be hard to get, and requiring that one extra vote will make it a little harder. That one more vote will also ensure that any change granted truly reflects the best interest of the community.

The supermajority is a vital tool to prevent overdevelopment in Palm Beach. It will aid the struggle to preserve the Palm Beach we all love, and help to pass on a decent town to our children and grandchildren.

LESLEY BLACKNER

Message from Lesley Blackner

Dear Supporters,

We are obviously disappointed in the apparent outcome of the referendum on Amendment 4. But we are extremely grateful for you, the countless thousands of volunteers and grassroots activists who stepped forward over the past seven years to fight the monumental battle just to get this issue on the ballot.

We fought together as a group of (very) concerned citizens in the face of the greatest pro-sprawl alliance ever put together in Florida. For seven years, those who make their living off of bad developments, real estate speculation, sprawl and back-room deals did everything they could to block our citizen initiative -- and any citizen initiative that might try to follow us. They created their own phony amendment. They created laws to attack our petition signers. They changed the state Constitution to require the approval of 60 percent of the public to pass an amendment.

To do this, they raised and spent well in excess of $16 million that we can document so far.

Make no mistake about it, we are right about the insidious affects of runaway growth. Our solution was the only one that anybody, including the state's sanctimonious news media, put forward and had the guts to stand behind.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to have a rational discussion of a solution to Florida’s horrible growth management problem in 30-second television ads that cost millions of dollars to air. Voters were subjected to the full financial power of those special interests that are committed to maintaining a death grip on their ability to control the status quo of sprawl and overbuilding in our state. We nonetheless respect the voters’ judgment at the ballot box.

For seven years, we sought to focus a discussion about how Florida will grow. We hope it is a discussion that continues beyond today, which marks the end of the Florida Hometown Democracy movement. It is left to our state’s elected leaders and residents find an answer to Florida’s addiction to promiscuous construction before it is too late for our state’s natural resources and quality of life.

Thank you for your support and hard work, and for your passion and concern,

Lesley Blackner
President, Florida Hometown Democracy

Open Letter to Lesley Blackner

That, finally, is why I decided to dedicate GatorDebater first of all to you, Lesley Blackner. You clearly had faith that everyday people could rise to the responsibilities of democracy. That is a faith worth honoring.

Read the entire article here

Vote YES and NO on 4 to debate on Tuesday in Palm Beach

Aimee Craig Carlson is the paid Regional Director for Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc. (the PAC of the Florida Chamber or Commerce) where she is concentrating on South Florida and the Treasure Coast. She leads the “Vote NO on 4” campaign efforts and the special interest network in order to defeat Amendment 4.

Lesley Blackner is a land-use attorney and the founder of Florida Hometown Democracy. She leads the "Vote YES" campaign efforts and grassroots initiative all across the State of Florida.

They both will be on the Agenda of The Town of Palm Beach's Council Meeting that begins at 10am on Tuesday held at the PB City Hall.

Amendment 4 at Delray Beach Democratic Club

Top Row:  Helen Marino, Jayne King, Green Party
Bottom Row:  Katie McGiveron, PB County Amendment 4, Lesley Blackner, Chair Florida Hometown Democracy, Janice Botsko, Terri Rizzio, Vice Chair PPB County Democratic Executive Committee

On Wednesday night, Amendment 4 was invited to speak at the Delray Beach Democratic Club that met at Veterans Park Center on the Intracoastal Waterway. It was a large politically astute group that understood the importance of Amendment 4.

Prior to the meeting we enjoyed the ambiance on the waterfront that included this dinner cruise ship. Someone on the ship actually was wearing an Amendment 4 T-Shirt!

Greedy Groups are against FL Amendment 4

Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy (the "Vote No on 4" campaign) is the umbrella organization that leads opposition to Amendment 4 and headed by "Lyin" Ryan Houck. Everything about this Group is a lie, even its name.

Some of those directly responsible for Florida's economic predicament are:

National League of Cities former President, Clarence Anthony

Florida Chamber of Commerce President, Mark Wilson

AFL-CIO Executive Committee member, Frank Ortis.

Florida Tax Payer

Everyone must follow the money to understand why groups such as the Florida League of Cities, Associated Industries and the Florida Association of Realtors tell the lies and are spending $15 million to fool the general public. Some of these people are the ones to blame for the crash of Florida's economy. Look to see how long their pockets are. Taxpayers across the State are experiencing empty pockets and higher taxes because of land-use changes that have gone against common sense.

Hometown Democracy president Lesley Blackner issued this statement after recent media coverage about an “Industry Mobilization Plan” being undertaken by the powerful opponents to Amendment 4, or Hometown Democracy:

“It is bad enough that major Florida employers are squandering millions of dollars to oppose giving voters a seat at the table, money that could instead go into growing their businesses and hiring new employees. Now, they have devised a plan to have those same employers lean on their workers to join their pro-overbuilding campaign and even provide lists of employees names to the anti-Amendment 4 campaign team."

The Vote No group had a Regional Rally in Orlando on September 14 and the ONLY people who attended were members of the various above mentioned groups...speaking to their own greedy choir for the photo op.

In case you missed it the first time-