By: Jamie Soto
Dr. Samuel R. Staley is Director of the DeVoe L. Moore Center and full-time faculty of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. He teaches in the departments of economics and urban planning, with academic specialties in regulation, economic development, housing and land, growth management, transportation, and urban policy. He also is a research fellow at the Reason Foundation and a senior fellow at both the Indiana Policy Review Foundation and the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions.
The DeVoe L. Moore Center DMC is proud to spotlight our Director, Dr. Samuel R. Staley. The Tallahassee Democrat published his op-ed to their site on October 15, 2023. The piece titled, “Tallahassee zoning code: The wrong tool for tackling nuisance fraternity houses,” addresses a recent zoning change implemented by the Tallahassee City Commission in response to nuisance complaints about a fraternity in a family-friendly neighborhood.
The fraternity, Phi Lambda Phi, located on East College Avenue, had received multiple nuisance complaints from neighbors regarding noise, late-night parties, discarded beer pong tables in the front lawn, and many others. This behavior raised serious concerns from surrounding homeowners about their property values decreasing. In response to these complaints, the Tallahassee City Commission made an official change to the city’s zoning code on October 11 that bars fraternities and sororities from the central urban 45 zoning district.
Dr. Staley, in his op-ed, argues that the city commission’s interference in such a dispute should not have been necessary and their response was both excessive and misguided. He writes that, “The city should have in place mechanisms for resolving conflicts among renters and property owners without engaging the scarce time of elected officials.” He contrasts the roles of city commissioners which are better suited to “larger policy matters such as budgeting and setting policy priorities,” to that of urban planners which are more suited to handle these smaller disputes. Dr. Staley proposed a “formal dispute resolution mechanism,” in which complaints first go to the city’s department of Neighborhood Services to be evaluated by city planners. This would allow neighbors, or their representatives, to settle disputes at a lower level.
In addition to his critical assessment of city complaint channels, Dr. Staley highlights the misguided principle behind banning fraternities and sororities from certain neighborhoods. He writes that, “Zoning codes presume the specific character of the land-use is the problem rather than the human behavior among the occupants.” Prohibiting Greek life organizations from certain neighborhoods sends the message that their disruptive actions are acceptable, but only in certain areas. It does not directly address the issue of the problematic behavior.
In addition to research about local zoning practices, Dr. Staley’s research at the DeVoe L. Moore Center is focused on urban policy, including land-use regulation, economic development, and growth management. This op-ed represents only a small part of this greater goal.
You can read the full article by visiting the Tallahassee Democrat website, or following the link provided here.
To learn more about urban policy and Dr. Staley’s research here at the DMC, visit our Blogs, Policy Reports, or Presentations pages to read more of his and other, researcher’s work.
Edited by Katherine Kelsey and Chloe Offutt
Jamie joined the Editorial & Public Affairs Team for the Spring 2023 semester, helping to edit the Eric Neuyou YouTube video interviews. She helped to edit researcher works and posters to ensure they were ready for individual conferences, alongside writing newsletter articles. Also, she was in charge of pictures and media for DMC events. She graduated from FSU in May 2024.
