Growth Management Reversion Heads To Senate Floor

By The News Service of Florida

A proposal that would scale back a 2025 law that temporarily blocked cities and counties from approving “more restrictive or burdensome” changes to growth plans is headed to the Senate floor.

The Rules Committee on Tuesday backed the measure (SB 840) that has yet to see any action in the House (HB 1465).

Last year, “we were trying to address an issue where local governments were laying out moratoriums that had the absolute potential to stop homeowners and businesses from rebuilding,” said bill sponsor Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach. “Unfortunately, we got some feedback of unintended consequences.”

The controversial growth-related issues were included in a broader law passed after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton slammed into the state in 2024.

The overall law addressed numerous issues, such as debris removal, mutual-aid agreements and building-permit and inspection fees, with backers saying it was designed to help people rebuild damaged homes.

But the law, in part, effectively froze local land-development regulations and comprehensive plans through Oct. 1, 2027, and was made retroactive to Aug. 1, 2024.

DiCeglie’s bill would lead to that part of the law expiring on June 30, 2026, rather than Oct. 1, 2027.

Another part of the law placed restrictions on local land-use regulations after hurricanes for one year after landfall.  It applied to counties listed in federal disaster declarations or within 100 miles of hurricane tracks.

DiCeglie’s bill would apply the restrictions to areas that have received federal major disaster declarations and are within 50 miles of storm tracks.

Numerous cities and counties and the growth-management group 1000 Friends of Florida filed separate lawsuits in Leon County circuit court challenging the constitutionality of the part of the law dealing with growth plans.