...I lived on Florida's gulf coast for over 20 yrs and it's always the same old story (
stay with me on this):
1) Developers move in...
2) Coastal property values quickly rise...
3) Many existing (economically middle class and below) property holders can't afford the sharp increase in property taxes...
4) They're forced to relocate (without added pressure from a local government -- given carte blanche by a decision/ruling by our federal court)...
5) The beach front is then turned into tacky wall of generic condos, restaurants, and T-shirt shops -- while generational families, and the small businesses that support them are run out of their own home town.
Anyone familiar with the real estate market knows that this kind of thing's been happening for a long time in highly prised (not necessarily coastal) areas.
Our national government has now sanctioned local governments to expedite this process (as if the process wasn't pervasive enough before). While it may be just as well that the greedy will now suffer the losses from natural disasters, while the displaced are forced to live on hopefully safer (less expensive) ground -- doesn't our Constitution guarantee us the right to make these kind of decisions for ourselves?
Our right to our property is a
huge element of our freedoms
guaranteed by our Constitution:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/TheU.S.Constitution/index.shtmlComments???...
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