The Florida Senate

235.193  Coordination of planning with local governing bodies.--

(1)  It is the policy of this state to require the coordination of planning between boards and local governing bodies to ensure that plans for the construction and opening of public educational facilities are facilitated and coordinated in time and place with plans for residential development, concurrently with other necessary services. Such planning shall include the integration of the educational plant survey and applicable policies and procedures of a board with the local comprehensive plan and land development regulations of local governing bodies. The planning must include the consideration of allowing students to attend the school located nearest their homes when a new housing development is constructed near a county boundary and it is more feasible to transport the students a short distance to an existing facility in an adjacent county than to construct a new facility or transport students longer distances in their county of residence. The planning must also consider the effects of the location of public education facilities, including the feasibility of keeping central city facilities viable, in order to encourage central city redevelopment and the efficient use of infrastructure and to discourage uncontrolled urban sprawl.

(2)  A school board and the local governing body must share and coordinate information related to existing and planned public school facilities; proposals for development, redevelopment, or additional development; and infrastructure required to support the public school facilities, concurrent with proposed development. A school board shall use Department of Education enrollment projections when preparing the 5-year district facilities work program pursuant to s. 235.185, and a school board shall affirmatively demonstrate in the educational facilities report consideration of local governments' population projections to ensure that the 5-year work program not only reflects enrollment projections but also considers applicable municipal and county growth and development projections. A school board is precluded from siting a new school in a jurisdiction where the school board has failed to provide the annual educational facilities report for the prior year required pursuant to s. 235.194 unless the failure is corrected.

(3)  The location of public educational facilities shall be consistent with the comprehensive plan of the appropriate local governing body developed under part II of chapter 163 and the plan's implementing land development regulations, to the extent that the regulations are not in conflict with or the subject regulated is not specifically addressed by this chapter or the State Uniform Building Code, unless mutually agreed by the local government and the board.

(4)  To improve coordination relative to potential educational facility sites, a board shall provide written notice to the local government that has regulatory authority over the use of the land at least 60 days prior to acquiring or leasing property that may be used for a new public educational facility. The local government, upon receipt of this notice, shall notify the board within 45 days if the site proposed for acquisition or lease is consistent with the land use categories and policies of the local government's comprehensive plan. This preliminary notice does not constitute the local government's determination of consistency pursuant to subsection (5).

(5)  As early in the design phase as feasible, but at least before commencing construction of a new public educational facility, the local governing body that regulates the use of land shall determine, in writing within 90 days after receiving the necessary information and a school board's request for a determination, whether a proposed public educational facility is consistent with the local comprehensive plan and local land development regulations, to the extent that the regulations are not in conflict with or the subject regulated is not specifically addressed by this chapter or the State Uniform Building Code, unless mutually agreed. If the determination is affirmative, school construction may proceed and further local government approvals are not required, except as provided in this section. Failure of the local governing body to make a determination in writing within 90 days after a school board's request for a determination of consistency shall be considered an approval of the school board's application.

(6)  A local governing body may not deny the site applicant based on adequacy of the site plan as it relates solely to the needs of the school. If the site is consistent with the comprehensive plan's future land use policies and categories in which public schools are identified as allowable uses, the local government may not deny the application but it may impose reasonable development standards and conditions in accordance with s. 235.34(1) and consider the site plan and its adequacy as it relates to environmental concerns, health, safety and welfare, and effects on adjacent property. Standards and conditions may not be imposed which conflict with those established in this chapter or the State Uniform Building Code, unless mutually agreed.

(7)  This section does not prohibit a local governing body and district school board from agreeing and establishing an alternative process for reviewing a proposed educational facility and site plan, and offsite impacts.

(8)  Existing schools shall be considered consistent with the applicable local government comprehensive plan adopted under part II of chapter 163. The collocation of a new proposed public educational facility with an existing public educational facility, or the expansion of an existing public educational facility is not inconsistent with the local comprehensive plan, if the site is consistent with the comprehensive plan's future land use policies and categories in which public schools are identified as allowable uses, and levels of service adopted by the local government for any facilities affected by the proposed location for the new facility are maintained. If a board submits an application to expand an existing school site, the local governing body may impose reasonable development standards and conditions on the expansion only, and in a manner consistent with s. 235.34(1). Standards and conditions may not be imposed which conflict with those established in this chapter or the State Uniform Building Code, unless mutually agreed. Local government review or approval is not required for:

(a)  The placement of temporary or portable classroom facilities; or

(b)  Proposed renovation or construction on existing school sites, with the exception of construction that changes the primary use of a facility, includes stadiums, or results in a greater than 5 percent increase in student capacity, or as mutually agreed.

History.--s. 11, ch. 77-458; s. 9, ch. 80-414; ss. 20, 50, 52, ch. 81-223; s. 1, ch. 84-349; s. 25, ch. 85-55; ss. 10, 26, 27, ch. 85-116; ss. 1, 4, ch. 86-1; s. 7, ch. 90-365; s. 42, ch. 93-206; ss. 13, 35, ch. 95-269; ss. 3, 11, ch. 95-341; s. 9, ch. 98-176; s. 24, ch. 99-378.