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The Florida Senate

HB 7207 — Trust Funds; Growth Management

by the Select Committee on Government Reorganization; and Rep. Aubuchon

This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.

Prepared by: Budget Committee (BC)

This bill as filed amended statutes for various trust funds – terminating certain trust funds and providing for revenue sources for a newly created trust fund.

The conference report provides instead for various provisions relating to growth management:

  • Makes concurrency for parks and recreation, schools, and transportation facilities optional for local governments.
  • Applies and revises the expedited comprehensive plan amendment process statewide.
  • Deletes the requirement that comprehensive plans be financially feasible.
  • Deletes the twice a year limitation on comprehensive plan amendments.
  • Revises the small scale amendment process.
  • Specifies that population projections should be a floor for requisite development except for areas of critical state concern.
  • Allows additional planning periods for specific parts of the comprehensive plan.
  • Abolishes 9J-5 (DCA’s growth management regulations and incorporates certain provisions into the bill).
  • Removes many of the state specifications and requirements for optional elements in the comprehensive plan, but allows local governments to continue to include optional elements.
  • Expands and revises the optional sector plan process.
  • Reduces the requirements of the evaluation and appraisal process.
  • Revises the rural land stewardship program.
  • Restricts the state’s ability to interpret joint planning agreements.
  • Clarifies and broadens the window for permit extensions.
  • Creates a 4-year development of regional impact permit extension.
  • Removes industrial areas, hotels/motels, and theaters from the list of developments of regional impact.
  • Creates an exemption from the DRI process for mining projects and allows those mines to enter into agreements with the Department of Transportation.
  • Adds a new 2-year permit extension, but caps the maximum extension at 4 years.
  • Prohibits local governments from having referenda for local comprehensive plan amendments.
  • Encourages planning innovation technical assistance.
  • Sunsets the Century Commission in two years.
  • Clarifies requirements for adopting criteria to address compatibility of lands relating to military installations.
  • Allows a certain plan amendment to be readopted by a local government without being resubmitted to the state land planning agency.
  • Clarifies when a local government can reject a proposed change to a development of regional impact.
  • Encourages adaptation strategies.
  • Requires DOT to study the proportionate share calculation.
  • Allows DCA to have procedural issues on their website.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect upon becoming law.
Vote:  Senate 34-5; House 87-31