By PAUL QUINLAN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 23, 2009
...environmentalists say this and other proposals - including one to eliminate the state agency that manages growth - will do nothing to fix the state's frigid real estate market, noting that the recent bubble left 300,000 homes sitting empty in Florida.
Audubon of Florida said Rep. Patronis is "borrowing a page from the subprime mortgage industry playbook" by effectively allowing developers to use their own paid consultants to review their permit applications. The group called it a "recipe for fraud" that "invites developers to avoid the costs of providing wetlands mitigation and stormwater treatment" and sticks "tomorrow's taxpayer with the costs of floods, water shortages and pollution."
"Worst case scenario, you've got a conflict of interest and an abuse of power," said Audubon's Charles Lee. "Best case scenario, you've got someone who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't have the skill sets to truly assess whether something is in the public interest."...
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