Attitudes Towards Growth Management in Florida: Comparing Resident Support in 1985 and 2001

Abstract

To date, no study has investigated whether resident attitudes towards growth management change over time and, if so, in what ways. This study begins to fill this gap by investigating Floridians' attitudes towards growth management at two key points in time: (i) in 1985, as Florida's groundbreaking growth management legislation was being passed, and (2) in 2001, when substantial revisions to the state's growth management approach were being considered. We found that while overall support for controlling growth remains high, support for government intervention in growth management has diminished. Overall, Florida's experience indicates that popular support for growth management is likely to persist in mature growth management states, even in the face of frustration with government implementation of such efforts and the emergence of political regimes that are less supportive of them.