Sarasota County has spent months arguing that Florida’s Live Local Act does not allow developers to build large apartment complexes on land zoned primarily for rural uses. Now, Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office says the county has it wrong.
In a Sept. 16 letter responding to Sarasota County’s request for legal guidance, the Attorney General’s Office concluded that rural properties allowing even limited commercial uses — such as veterinary clinics and plant nurseries — can qualify as mixed-use land eligible for development under Live Local.
The letter casts new doubt on the county’s long-running fight over the controversial law, giving ammunition to developers suing the county in six ongoing cases and potentially clearing a path for more than 7,500 housing units that have been put on pause…