Loading
The Florida House and Senate finalized actions on three growth management bills — Senate Bill 7001 and House Bills 7003 and 93 — that reinstate components of the 2009 Senate Bill 360, and sent them to Gov. Rick Scott to sign. Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, now Senate president pro-tempore, sponsored the 2009 bill.
That bill eased state concurrency requirements for developers to provide things like adequate roads and schools, but was interpreted to give local governments discretion to retain the regulations. The measure also exempted some larger developments from state review and allowed builders and developers to apply to extend permits due to expire.
The Legislature took the unusual step to work around litigation brought by several city and county governments and three local government associations. The plaintiffs argued that the 2009 measure violated single subject rules and amounted to an unfunded mandate. The courts agreed.
This year, legislators divided the bill into smaller chunks and passed all three by the required two-thirds margin needed to pass an unfunded mandate, dispensing with that problem in the process.
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
