Florida Senate - 2026                       CS for CS for SB 208
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Rules; and Judiciary; and Senator McClain
       
       
       
       
       
       595-03170-26                                           2026208c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to land use and development
    3         regulations; amending ss. 125.022 and 166.033, F.S.;
    4         requiring that the amount of certain application fees
    5         reasonably relate to certain costs; requiring that
    6         such fees be published on the county’s or
    7         municipality’s fee schedule, respectively; requiring
    8         that such fees not be based on certain costs or
    9         valuations; amending s. 163.31777, F.S.; requiring
   10         that certain interlocal agreements between school
   11         boards and local governments address reasonable access
   12         to certain public easements and public rights-of-way;
   13         amending s. 163.3194, F.S.; requiring that local
   14         government comprehensive plans and land development
   15         regulations include factors for assessing the
   16         compatibility of certain residential uses; requiring
   17         that land development regulations incorporate certain
   18         objective design standards or other measures for
   19         mitigating or minimizing potential incompatibility;
   20         requiring local government staff to meet certain
   21         requirements before recommending denial of certain
   22         applications on compatibility grounds; prohibiting a
   23         local government from denying certain applications on
   24         compatibility grounds if the applicant has proposed
   25         certain measures; providing an exception; requiring
   26         that the denial of an application specify certain
   27         information; providing that a local government’s
   28         approval of an application may include certain
   29         requirements or conditions; providing applicability;
   30         amending s. 553.382, F.S.; authorizing the placement
   31         of certain residential manufactured buildings on any
   32         lot in a recreational vehicle park; creating s.
   33         553.385, F.S.; defining the terms “local government”
   34         and “offsite constructed residential dwelling”;
   35         requiring that an offsite constructed residential
   36         dwelling be permitted as of right in certain zoning
   37         districts; prohibiting a local government from
   38         adopting or enforcing certain regulations; providing
   39         construction; authorizing a local government to adopt
   40         compatibility standards that are limited to certain
   41         architectural features; prohibiting a local government
   42         from treating offsite constructed residential
   43         dwellings differently than factory-built buildings
   44         based on certain circumstances; prohibiting a local
   45         government from adopting or enforcing certain zoning,
   46         land use, or development ordinances and regulations;
   47         prohibiting local government ordinances and
   48         regulations from having certain effects; providing
   49         that certain local government ordinances and
   50         regulations are void and unenforceable to a specified
   51         extent; requiring the Office of Program Policy
   52         Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to
   53         conduct a study to identify the effects of removing
   54         certain boundaries; providing requirements for the
   55         study; requiring OPPAGA to submit the results of the
   56         study to the Legislature by a specified date;
   57         providing an effective date.
   58          
   59  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   60  
   61         Section 1. Present subsection (9) of section 125.022,
   62  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (10), and a new
   63  subsection (9) is added to that section, to read:
   64         125.022 Development permits and orders.—
   65         (9) The amount of any application fee associated with a
   66  development permit or development order must reasonably relate
   67  to the direct and reasonable indirect costs associated with the
   68  review, processing, and final disposition of the application and
   69  must be published on the county’s fee schedule. The fee may not
   70  be based on a percentage of construction costs, site costs, or
   71  project valuation.
   72         Section 2. Present subsection (9) of section 166.033,
   73  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (10), and a new
   74  subsection (9) is added to that section, to read:
   75         166.033 Development permits and orders.—
   76         (9) The amount of any application fee associated with a
   77  development permit or development order must reasonably relate
   78  to the direct and reasonable indirect costs associated with the
   79  review, processing, and final disposition of the application and
   80  must be published on the municipality’s fee schedule. The fee
   81  may not be based on a percentage of construction costs, site
   82  costs, or project valuation.
   83         Section 3. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (2) of
   84  section 163.31777, Florida Statutes, to read:
   85         163.31777 Public schools interlocal agreement.—
   86         (2) At a minimum, the interlocal agreement must address the
   87  following issues:
   88         (j) Reasonable access, where available, to public easements
   89  and public rights-of-way which may be necessary for the siting,
   90  construction, expansion, or improvement of public school
   91  facilities, including charter schools, consistent with adopted
   92  level-of-service standards, school concurrency requirements, and
   93  applicable public facilities planning requirements.
   94         Section 4. Subsection (7) is added to section 163.3194,
   95  Florida Statutes, to read:
   96         163.3194 Legal status of comprehensive plan.—
   97         (7)(a) Local government comprehensive plans and land
   98  development regulations must include factors for assessing the
   99  compatibility of allowable residential uses within a residential
  100  zoning district and future land use category. Such factors may
  101  include intensity, density, scale, building size, mass, bulk,
  102  height and orientation, lot coverage, lot size and
  103  configuration, architectural style, permeability, screening,
  104  buffers, setbacks, stepbacks, transitional areas, signage,
  105  traffic and pedestrian circulation and access, and operational
  106  impacts, such as noise, odor, and lighting.
  107         (b) Land development regulations must incorporate objective
  108  design standards or other measures for mitigating or minimizing
  109  potential incompatibility.
  110         (c)1. Before recommending denial of an application for
  111  rezoning, subdivision, or site plan approval on compatibility
  112  grounds, local government staff must identify with specificity
  113  each area of incompatibility and may recommend mitigation
  114  measures to the applicant.
  115         2.If the applicant has proposed mitigation measures, the
  116  local government may not deny an application on compatibility
  117  grounds unless the denial includes written findings stating that
  118  the proposed mitigation measures are inadequate and that no
  119  feasible mitigation measures exist.
  120         3.A denial of an application on compatibility grounds must
  121  specify with particularity the area or areas of incompatibility,
  122  including applicable standards and an explanation of any
  123  mitigation measures considered and declined by the applicant, or
  124  the basis for determining that no feasible mitigation measures
  125  exist. References to “community character” or “neighborhood
  126  feel” are not sufficient in and of themselves to support a
  127  denial of an application on compatibility grounds.
  128         4. A local government’s approval of an application may
  129  include requirements or conditions to mitigate or minimize
  130  compatibility concerns.
  131         (d) This subsection does not apply to any of the following:
  132         1. Compatibility between uses in different future land use
  133  categories, including rural, agricultural, conservation, open
  134  space, mixed-use, industrial, or commercial use.
  135         2. Applications for development within planned unit
  136  developments or master planned communities.
  137         3. Applications for development within historic districts
  138  designated before January 1, 2026.
  139         (e) This section does not require approval of an
  140  application that is otherwise inconsistent with the applicable
  141  local government comprehensive plan or land development
  142  regulations.
  143         Section 5. Section 553.382, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  144  read:
  145         553.382 Placement of certain housing.—Notwithstanding any
  146  other law or ordinance to the contrary, in order to expand the
  147  availability of affordable housing in this state, any
  148  residential manufactured building that is certified under this
  149  chapter by the department may be placed on a mobile home lot in
  150  a mobile home park, recreational vehicle park, or mobile home
  151  condominium, cooperative, or subdivision or on any lot in a
  152  recreational vehicle park. Any such housing unit placed on a
  153  mobile home lot is a mobile home for purposes of chapter 723
  154  and, therefore, all rights, obligations, and duties under
  155  chapter 723 apply, including the specifics of the prospectus.
  156  However, a housing unit subject to this section may not be
  157  placed on a mobile home lot without the prior written approval
  158  of the park owner. Each housing unit subject to this section
  159  which is placed on a mobile home lot shall be taxed as a mobile
  160  home under s. 320.08(11) and is subject to payments to the
  161  Florida Mobile Home Relocation Fund under s. 723.06116.
  162         Section 6. Section 553.385, Florida Statutes, is created to
  163  read:
  164         553.385Zoning of offsite constructed residential
  165  dwellings; parity.—
  166         (1) As used in this section, the term:
  167         (a) “Local government” means a county or municipality.
  168         (b) “Offsite constructed residential dwelling” means a
  169  manufactured building as defined in s. 553.36 which is intended
  170  for single-family residential use, or a manufactured home as
  171  defined in s. 320.01(2)(b), which is constructed in whole or in
  172  part offsite and is treated as real property.
  173         (2)(a) An offsite constructed residential dwelling must be
  174  permitted as of right in any zoning district where single-family
  175  detached dwellings are allowed.
  176         (b) A local government may not adopt or enforce any zoning,
  177  land use, or development regulation that treats an offsite
  178  constructed residential dwelling differently or more
  179  restrictively than a single-family site-built dwelling allowed
  180  in the same district.
  181         (c) This section does not prohibit a local government from
  182  applying generally applicable architectural, aesthetic, design,
  183  setback, height, or bulk standards to offsite constructed
  184  residential dwellings, provided such standards apply equally to
  185  site-built single-family dwellings permitted in the same
  186  district. A local government may adopt compatibility standards
  187  that are limited to the following architectural features:
  188         1.Roof pitch.
  189         2.Square footage of livable space.
  190         3.Type and quality of exterior finishing materials.
  191         4.Foundation enclosure.
  192         5.Existence and type of attached structures.
  193         6. Building setbacks, lot dimensions, and the orientation
  194  of the home on the lot.
  195         (d) A local government may not treat offsite constructed
  196  residential dwellings differently than factory-built buildings
  197  subject to s. 553.38 based on the method or location of
  198  construction.
  199         (3) A local government may not adopt or enforce any zoning,
  200  land use, or development ordinance or regulation that conflicts
  201  with this section or s. 553.38 or that imposes different or more
  202  restrictive treatment on an offsite constructed residential
  203  dwelling based on its method of construction or the presence of
  204  components built off site. Local government ordinances and
  205  regulations may not have the effect of excluding offsite
  206  constructed residential dwellings and must be reasonable and
  207  uniformly enforced without any distinction as to the type of
  208  housing. Any such ordinance or regulation is void and
  209  unenforceable as applied to offsite constructed residential
  210  dwellings.
  211         Section 7. (1)The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
  212  Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to
  213  identify the effects of removing the Urban Development Boundary
  214  (UDB) and other similar boundaries in Miami-Dade County and
  215  other counties.
  216         (2)The study must:
  217         (a)Address whether counties may control growth through
  218  other zoning and land use designations.
  219         (b)Include an analysis of the economic benefits related to
  220  the cost of land and housing.
  221         (c)Analyze whether local counties have the ability to
  222  protect the environment and water quality without having a UDB
  223  or similar boundary within their respective jurisdictions.
  224         (3)By December 1, 2026, OPPAGA shall submit the results of
  225  the study to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
  226  House of Representatives.
  227         Section 8. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.