Growth Management bills moving in the House and Senate
OPPOSE SB 410 (Up Today - Wednesday) and HB 203 (Up Tomorrow - Thursday)

CS/CS/SB 410 ( Perry ) and CS/CS/CS/HB 203 ( McClain ) amend various unrelated sections of Florida law concerning growth management. Various special interest amendments have been added to these bills that fail to protect the public at the cost of taxpayers.
CS/CS/SB 410 is on the Senate Special Order Calendar TODAY! Please contact Senators ASAP and urge them to OPPOSE CS/CS/SB 410.

Click here for a list of the full Senate.

CS/CS/HB 203 is on the House Special Order Calendar for TOMORROW! Please contact House members and urge them to Oppose CS/CS/CS/HB 203.

Click here for a list of the full House of Representatives.
Talking Points
Poor Policy of Growth Management Bills:

  • The bills require 412 cities and 67 counties to amend local comprehensive plans by July 1, 2023 to include a new property rights element. This requirement duplicates existing state law and fails to add additional protection to property owners. However, the process of amending comprehensive plans is costly and will require public meetings, staff time, and for many small cities and counties, the hiring of outside consultants and lawyers. The potential cost statewide of this unfunded mandate to local governments could be in the millions of dollars.

  • The bills grant special treatment for utility construction on public property. The bills require expedited permit review and grants automatic permit approval for all utility work in the public right-of-way – regardless of size or complexity--if the expedited timeline for permit review is not met. This could include projects such as electric lines, railways, sewers, water lines, gas mains, pipelines, and gas tanks or pumps. Further expansion of this special treatment to all utility projects will exacerbate existing problems, burden limited local government resources and is unfair to all other permit applicants.

Additional Poor Policy only in CS/CS/CS/HB 203:

  • CS/CS/CS HB 203 will allow prevailing party attorney fees in a challenge to local ordinances for local land use or growth management ordinances to seek attorney fees and costs. The potential to recover attorney fees will likely encourage challenges to local government environmental protections that implement a local government comprehensive plan’s natural resources and conservation elements. This will directly impact pending litigation. 
Please contact lawmakers and urge them to OPPOSE both bills!
You can also use the League’s Contact Your Legislators advocacy tool to email your legislators.
Watch Live on The Florida Channel
To watch the House and Senate, please go to https://thefloridachannel.org and click on Live Streams.
 
Keep FLC informed – Let us know what communications you have with your legislators on this issue. Email Allison Payne
Thank you for your advocacy efforts!