Leon County Commission Meeting Briefs: November 18, 2025

Below are the news briefs from the Leon County Commission meeting held on November 18, 2025.

The Board approved 14 Consent Items unanimously (7-0). Consent Items 11 & 12 passed 6-1 with Commissioner Caban voting no.

General Business

Item 17.The Board voted unanimously to ratify Board Actions taken at the October 28, workshop on the 2026 State and Federal Legislative Priorities and approval of a Resolution encouraging the Florida Legislature to support legislation that requires a court to order that a person found guilty of certain sexual or violent offenses be held without bail while awaiting sentencing because they are a danger to the community.

Item 18.The Board voted 5-2 (Minor, O’Keefe no) to accept a status report on the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan Land Use and Mobility Element (LME) update, including information about additional community engagement directed by the Board on July 8, 2025.  This item also seeks Board direction on specific policy recommendations developed in response to community and state agency input and further supported by staff analysis, and requests that the Board schedule the adoption public hearing for December 9, 2025.

Item 19.The Board voted unanimously to appointment Mary Ann Koos and Katie Watkins to the Canopy Roads Citizens Committee for the remainder of three-year terms ending on October 31, 2028. 

Public Hearings

Item 20. The Board voted 5-0 (Maddox, Proctor absent) for the First and Only Public Hearing for an Ordinance to Establish Procedures for Review and Approval of Certified Recovery Residences. The item requests the Board conduct the first and only public hearing and adopt an Ordinance amending Article VI of the Land Development Code (LDC) to create a new section for certified recovery residences in order to comply with new legislation adopted during the 2025 Legislative Session. 

The proposed Ordinance will establish procedures for the review and approval of certified recovery residences within Leon County. Recovery residences (also known as ‘sober homes’ or ‘sober living homes’) are alcohol- and drug-free living environments for individuals in recovery who are attempting to maintain abstinence from alcohol and drugs.  These residences offer no formal treatment and are, in some cases, self-funded through resident fees. 

Item 21. The Board voted 5-0 (Maddox, Proctor absent) for the First and Only Public Hearing to Consider and Ordinance Amending the Official Zoning Map to Change Zoning Classification for 4.88-Acres Located at 3028 Okeeheepkee Road from the Lake Protection (LP) Zoning District to the Lake Protection Node (LPN) Zoning District.

The subject property is located within the Lake Protection category of the Future Land Use Map (FLUM), which establishes long-term land use designations consistent with the goals of the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan.  The 2015 amendment to the Lake Protection category created the Lake Protection Node (LPN) zoning district.  That amendment identified four key intersections within the Lake Protection area as nodes where compact, mixed-use development could be permitted.  These nodes were established to promote infill and reinvestment at existing intersections rather than allow linear or sprawling development that could encroach upon sensitive watershed areas.  Properties within a quarter mile of these intersections would be permitted to rezone to the Lake Protection Node zoning district, enabling higher-density residential, limited commercial, and mixed-use development in a manner that clusters growth and preserves surrounding environmental resources.  One such intersection is that of Highway 27 North (North Monroe Street) and Sessions Road.