— Earlier this week, Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse joined two other elected officials to discuss the fading opportunity for state lawmakers to pass a legislative fix to SB 180. The officials spoke during a Zoom press conference organized by 1000 Friends of Florida that included representatives from the City of Deltona and Orange County.
Signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June, SB 180 is a broad emergency management bill that has limited local governments’ ability to enact new or updated development codes and regulations. The legislation was intended, in part, to ensure that residents recovering from hurricane-related damage would not be subject to newly adopted local ordinances imposing stricter requirements. However, its language regarding “more restrictive or burdensome” rules has been applied to a wider range of development applications, including new construction, not just storm-damaged properties.
The provisions of the law apply retroactively, restricting local land-use, development, and zoning regulations from August 1, 2024—before the law was passed—and remain in effect through at least October 1, 2027…