JUST SAY NO TO BIG BOX IN APOLLO BEACH!

Apollo Beach FL

Description

**CALL TO ACTION** NO BIG BOX STORES (LIKE WALMART) IN APOLLO BEACH!!! Did you know that there are plans to build a BIG BOX store with an additional 300+ apartments right here in YOUR community across from the Winn Dixie Shopping Center?! BIG BOX in our small community will bring: *Crime-To put into perspective what BIG BOX brings to a community, here is a quote from an article on Walmart’s impact:”Fights regularly break out at Walmarts across the nation. Crime at Walmart is so rampant in certain cities that police departments say their resources are being stretched thin responding to calls”. *Low wages- When local businesses have to lower their prices AND employees’ wages in order to compete, our local economy will be negatively impacted. We need to attract businesses that will enhance our community and offer competitive wages to keep our local economy strong! *Resource depletion-Growth is inevitable, we just need to be smart about HOW we grow! Who says we must allow big box to be progressive? *Negative environmental impact-Walmart and other big box stores fail on sustainability and contribute greatly to the sprawl killing our communities. “Big box retail takes away almost 3,000 acres of farmland, wetlands, and other green spaces every year. That's the size of the state of Delaware”. We must come up with viable alternatives to big box that include SMART development! *Increased sprawl-The type of growth that follows big box is NOT the answer. We must be thoughtful and responsible in our growth. *Increased traffic-Fix our roads first before approving more development *Loss of Local Businesses: Studies have shown that Big Box is a killer of local mom and pop businesses. This could be your neighbor’s business or your own! There are two Walmarts within a 20 min drive of us-do we REALLY need a big box store in Apollo Beach? One guarantee, once the big box door is opened, the rest will come knocking and stopping them will be almost impossible! Remember when Brandon was a small community? And just look at the chaotic mess it is now! THAT is what we’re fighting against! Won’t you join us in telling our Commissioners NO to big box and YES to smart responsible growth? JUST SAY NO ON 1/17/23! The new BOCC will meet to hear public comment on this proposed zoning change @ 6pm at the County Center 601 E Kennedy Blvd, Downtown Tampa Cutoff for written comment is 1/12/2023 reference MM 22-1228, you can email all of them at: https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/government/board-of-county-commissioners/contact-your-commissioner