In 2008 during the economic recession and housing market collapse, working class families watched as their belongings were hauled off in trailers by the banks. This devastated the real estate market, and developers found themselves in a comfortable position to purchase property up to 80% off of their peak prices in Florida. Legislators and politicians desperate to rebound the Florida economy allowed the developers to build on critical wetlands, bending new laws to their will on the promise of attracting out of state wealthy retirees to the area.

If you have ever driven through SWFL in the evening, it may have come to your surprise to see cows lit up by streetlights next to a CVS. Developers bought up so much land during the recession that they weren’t ready to use, and took advantage of a tax loophole in Florida to save money while the lots sat vacant. The tax loophole referred to as the “Greenbelt Law” is meant to preserve agricultural land by taxing it at a special low rate to prevent farmers from getting priced out. Developers began renting cows from cattle ranchers or renting out the land for grazing so that they could save thousands of dollars a year.

Florida continuously ruled on proceedings citing vague language in the law, that transformed the definition of agricultural land to include placing a few underfed cows on land that was purchased with the intention to build residentially would now be considered agricultural and eligible for the tax benefits. This created a grave precedent over time that transformed a law that was meant to protect farmers from over-development, into a law that saves developers posing as farmers thousands of dollars a year so they can sit on that land until they are ready to build.

Ron DeSantis’ campaign donations the past 4 years have been ripe with donations from developers across the state of Florida. He has continuously worked with a Republican led state congress to pass laws making it easier and cheaper for developers to convert land use from agricultural to residential without as much permitting. This is a major contributing factor to the seemingly endless growth Florida has experienced the past few years. Previous permits that would normally be required have been waived. If we take a brief moment to analyze a few laws passed in Florida you can see the road map clearly of how they crossed their “t’s” and dotted their “i’s” to make sure that they would be able to “legally” protect them.

The rapid development of Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers and Port Charlotte have eliminated wetlands that act as natural drainage basins, distributing the water throughout shallow marshes. They have been replaced with golf courses, country clubs, and expensive homes – celebrating that they are putting in sewage systems, convincing the public the installation of these systems are improving drainage. These stormwater drains may improve temporary flooding due to the daily Summer storm, however, the infrastructure that processes storm and wastewater are not equipped to support several feet of water.

As these critical issues surmount and our state government continues to make it easier for developers to develop – it is more important than ever to get involved in your local government. It is easy for those involved in state politics to make decisions for others that do not directly impact them, but the representatives in your local municipalities live and work in the same community as you do. Their families, friends and homes face the same threat and you have to show up and voice your ideas to be a part of the solution you want to see.