County To Study Development Impact On Coast

"After decades of promoting the rapid conversion of farmland and swamps in west Broward into housing projects, the Broward County Commission has moved toward a more skeptical view of development, particularly on the barrier islands. County Commissioners are worried cities may be too eager to approve beach development as a way to expand their tax base. Commissioners consider it to be the county's job to look at the bigger picture of how that growth affects broader issues...The commissioners want to do a detailed review of the impact on traffic, hurricane preparation, governments' ability to provide emergency services and quality of life along the barrier islands if such development moves forward. That has buoyed beach residents fighting development and has some city leaders concerned the county is setting the stage to clamp down on money-making projects."