No More Dog Beach

From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune comes a tale of "private property rights" to spoon feed passionate defenders what they want to hear.  Only this self-made hero in the struggle against government in Florida is a little off-message.

During his 34 years practicing eminent domain, (Bill) Moore has been involved in most of the highest profile eminent domain cases in Southwest Florida.  He defended property owners against Charlotte County's efforts to seize land as part of its Murdock Village project. He battled Sarasota County's efforts to remove a developer's rights to build condominiums in the Myakka River Protection Zone and helped farmers get adequate reimbursement for land taken under the federal government's Kissimmee River Restoration Project.

After recounting a case in which he successfully closed a beach at Siesta Key - known as Dog Beach - to dog walkers, he boasts:

The moral of the story is that the government cannot take private property and turn it into a public park for dogs without compensating owners, Moore said.  His victory may not have pleased the average dog walker, but for Moore, it was a no-brainer. Private property rights are fundamental, and private citizens need to be protected against the almost overwhelming power of government, he says. David vs. Goliath -- always.

Now, which one had the dog - David or Goliath?

This fantasy is supposed to be about sticking up for the little guy against big bad government.  It is never about corporate power on the other side - like where land use regulations protect a neighborhood from industry or a big box.  Or where zoning restricts those towering beach condominiums.  No, in this fantasy it is the evil government - and dog walkers - we must be protected from. 

 

Comments

[Jimbo]

These kinds of stories crack me up. They remind me that journalism would be much better if journalists took some time off after college and pursued other work first, did some living and child rearing, took part in the political process and basically saw the world for a while as an ordinary human being before becoming reporters. Then their stories would be grounded in practical reality. Instead we get journalists who are largely inexpereinced and who are forced to find out about how things work from "sources" instead of people or experience.