Unlike many Florida towns where growth is welcome, residents of Cocoa Beach have voted to limit growth not once, but four times.
During the past two years, Cocoa Beach residents have approved referendums on four separate occasions, either limiting population density, restricting building heights, or both. They have also elected the only Green Party member to office in Florida. "The citizens have spoken," said Skip Fowler, Cocoa Beach's attorney. "You would have to be deaf and blind not to know what the citizens want." But it hasn't been without a struggle. At each stage, developers challenged the referendum. Vacation Beach, Inc. with plans to build a condominium, challenged last year's referendum and a judge ruled in their favor. The city has appealed.
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Cocoa Beach rejects growth, says '50s-style community is fine
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