Florida developers are racing to take advantage of a fast-track approval process for turning rural land into subdivisions, a process that state lawmakers expanded this year in their latest move to shift control over Florida’s sprawling growth from local governments to Tallahassee.
Since July, at least 17 landowners have submitted 21 applications for “agricultural enclave” designations, which would allow them to build single-family homes on former farmland while sidestepping opposition from local governments, zoning laws and angry neighbors. The applications cover more than 9,400 acres of rural Florida in St. Johns, Orange, Brevard, Marion and Martin counties.
The rate of applications has been much higher than predicted by the agricultural enclave law’s House sponsor, Bonita Springs Republican Adam Botana, who told The Trib in June that he expected “probably, in total, five or 10 around the whole state” by 2028. Neither Botana nor Ocala Republican Stan McClain, the law’s sponsor in the state Senate, responded to recent interview requests…