What’s at Stake
Eliminating the protections established by the Original Save Our Beach movement would remove important safeguards that have helped preserve Deerfield Beach’s character and ensure residents maintain a voice in major development decisions. Without voter approval requirements for the sale of public land, limits on land area ratio, and building height caps, future generations could see public assets privatized, larger and taller developments approved, and the unique coastal identity of our community gradually replaced by overdevelopment that cannot be undone.
OSOB Charter amendments have protected Deerfield from turning into another overdeveloped sterilized coastal town. Vote to prevent this becoming Deerfield Beach!
The Land Code Charter is Deerfield Beach's legal shield. It prevents unchecked development and ensures that changes to our zoning require resident approval, not just a city commission vote.
Zoning & Land Use
Why keep the OSOB amendments in the Charter?
Keeping Save Our Beach protections in the City Charter ensures they cannot be quietly weakened through routine zoning changes or discretionary variances. Unlike building codes, which are designed to be flexible, charter provisions set firm limits on development that the City Commission cannot override on a project-by-project basis.
This structure keeps major decisions like height, density, and the use of public land under voter control rather than administrative approval. It protects the long-term vision of Deerfield Beach by ensuring these safeguards can only be changed by the people, not through incremental exceptions over time.
By maintaining the integrity of the Land Use Code, we preserve the low-density charm of Deerfield Beach and ensure our infrastructure is not overwhelmed by unsustainable projects.
Overdevelopment Risks
Traffic Congestion
More development will not magically create better transit or wider roads. Traffic congestion is already a growing problem, and if we continue adding density without the necessary infrastructure, we risk becoming as gridlocked as neighboring communities where residents spend more time sitting in traffic than enjoying their quality of life.
Urban Flooding
Every acre of greenspace replaced with concrete reduces the land’s ability to absorb and store stormwater, increasing runoff into streets, neighborhoods, and waterways. As South Florida has experienced through repeated catastrophic flooding events in recent years, preserving greenspaces is essential to reducing flood risk, protecting water quality, and maintaining community resilience.
Loss of Heritage
Our community’s unique character, historic landmarks, and coastal identity are at risk of being replaced by generic high-density development. Once these irreplaceable places are lost, they cannot be recreated, and future generations will inherit a community that looks and feels no different from countless others across South Florida.