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FLORENCE – After a three-day marathon of voting, the Municipal Operational Plan approved: nineteen votes in favour – Pd, Lista Nardella and the former Fdi councilor and now in the mixed group Manuela Monaco, two non-voters – the councilors of Italia Viva – and the other groups against: in addition to the centre-right opposition and the Left Progetto Comune, the 3 councilors of Democratic Florence who refer to the former councilor Cecilia Del Re, who have seen practically all the amendments presented rejected and speak of a “betrayal” of the original spirit of the plan as elaborated by the former councillor.
“The choices made between the adoption and approval phases have distorted some key principles on which the POC had been built” former councilor Cecilia Del Re explains the decision speaking to Novaradio, in particular on the issues of stopping the alienation of public goods and the limitation of new student residences. Among the examples cited, the planned sale of the former San Giovanni di Dio hospital in Borgo Ognissanti (which includes a management part and a social housing part), the disappearance of the school in the former “Palazzo del Sleep” in Viale Lavagnini (in favor of the expansion of the Student Hotel), and the decision to allow student residences free tourist activity for 2 months, of which 30 days also in the non-summer period (as requested by Italia Viva). “We had a dialogue with the Democratic Party to explain which amendments were essential, but on the part of the Democratic Party there was no willingness to listen” says Del Re, highlighting among the critical issues also the failure to adopt the Green Plan linked to the POC, the failure stop to new supermarkets, the limit on the subdivision of properties (in the POC the limit set is one bathroom every 30 m2) and last but not least, underlines Del Re, the “mess” of the elimination of the “anti-airbnb rule in the UNESCO center at 48 hours from the vote” where Firenze Democratica proposed “to extend the ban also to university areas, from Novoli to Careggi, where there has been an explosion in high rents”.
After months of difficult relations and strong tensions, yesterday’s vote “certifies” also from a formal point of view the exit from the majority of Democratic Florence. However, it is all clear what the position will be in view of the next municipal elections. “We are a transversal civic space within ourselves, we are talking to understand if on the issues there are the conditions to build an alternative within the center left. the decision is not only up to us” but also to M5s and Italia Viva. And the appeal for a broad coalition launched by Tomaso Montanari? “We have expressed our willingness to speak at the table” he simply says, adding: “If the conditions weren’t there we wouldn’t be afraid to present ourselves, we are working on our own program and we will maintain our identity regardless of alliances”. However, time is running out: “We took March to work on the program, there’s not much time left. We will have another initiative on Friday 13 April, centered on the themes of decentralization and citizen participation.”
