What is in the water down in Florida? The legislature wants to take away an individuals right to private property, and give state and local governments more latitude to kick people off their land, and give it to private developers. Keep in mind that the lack of property rights is one of the Pillars of Communism.

Legislation - which could be approved this week - would allow a city or county to take an individual's land, with fair compensation, and sell it to a private developer for a shopping center or office building.

The argument is a familiar one. The community gets more tax revenue from Wal-Mart than your dumpy old house, so they condemn your property and force you to sell at a "reasonable" price. Of course, they get to determine what's reasonable.

Some governments are already using eminent domain powers to condemn property for private development. They're saying that increasing tax revenue or expanding economic development qualifies as a public purpose. Nearly all of these cases are decided by judges.

Riviera Beach
The city wants to bulldoze at least 1,700 homes and apartments and displace 5,100 residents of this coastal Florida town in order to assemble land for commercial yachting, shipping and tourism.

Toledo, Ohio
In 1999, the city condemned 83 homes to make way for the expansion of a manufacturing plant.

Merriam, Kansas
The city condemned a used-car dealership to make way for the expansion of a BMW dealership next door. The city council said the project served the public interest because of increased tax revenue the city stood to gain.

Canton, Miss.
A Mississippi economic development authority condemned three homes in 2001 and sold the land to a manufacturing company for a plant. Some of the residents removed had lived on their property for more than 40 years.

Hurst, Texas
The city condemned 10 homes in the way of a parking lot expansion at a neighboring shopping mall. Some of the residents had lived in their condemned homes for about 30 years.
Source: The Castle Coalition

Imagine spending 30 years paying off your home. You own it free and clear, and hope to spend your golden years sitting on the porch and sipping lemonade. Then along comes Wal-Mart, who wants to bulldoze your home to make way for their latest supercenter. Rather than negotiate to a price you can agree to, they grease the local bureaucrat with the lure of increased tax receipts. The government then condemns your property and forces you (at the point of a gun, no less) to accept their "reasonable" offer. You're only real choice is to accept their offer, or die defending your property.

(Hat tip to Neal Boortz and especially to Charles Hill for digging up the link.)