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Highlands Today

DCA Should Remain, But Fix Slow Response Time

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 27, 2009

It's clear some of our legislators are using bad economic times as an excuse to dismantle state entities that they don't like. In state Rep. Denise Grimsley's case, that's the Department of Community Affairs.

Grimsley wants to eliminate the Department of Community Affairs and move it to the Department of State. She chairs the Government Accountability Act Council and has sponsored a House bill to make the change. The council claims the state could save $1.3 million. We disagree with this bill, although we understand how DCA has made so many enemies.

DCA gives the green or red light to comprehensive plan amendments and its decisions affect developers of housing subdivisions and other large commercial developments. The biggest problem most people have with DCA is that its decisions take too long, and that's absolutely true.

Terry Crutchfield and her family wanted to develop Crossroads Mall at the corner of U.S. 27 and S.R. 66. They submitted plans to the county, and the county sent them to DCA. It took years to hear anything, and when they did hear, it was too late. The economy busted.

It's easy to see why Crutchfield and other developers would like to see DCA go away. They deserve better, and the DCA shouldn't be seen as an enemy. The DCA should be there only to make sure Florida growth is done correctly and without abuse.

The problem is that Florida needs strong oversight on development and comprehensive plan changes. Our state is well known around the country for past practices of allowing development just about anywhere with no regard to how it affects quality of life, our wild spaces and land use. It's gotten better, but even Gov. Jeb Bush worked to force communities to build infrastructure before more development is allowed.

We do agree, though, that long waits for an answer to comprehensive plan changes are ridiculous and counterproductive. Developers should hear back in a reasonable amount of time whether their proposal received a thumb's up or a thumb's down. It's unfair to keep them hanging.

State Sen. J.D. Alexander doesn't think there's much chance of the bill getting through the Legislature, since the Senate doesn't seem concerned. And few people can imagine Gov. Charlie Crist signing such a bill into law, since he understands the importance of good planning and land use changes.

We don't like Grimsley's proposed bill, but we agree that the DCA must change its ways. According to some people, the reason the agency is so slow is because they are understaffed and have a huge load of work. If that's the problem, the Legislature should fix that, not eliminate this important state department.

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