Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 354
Ì686098ZÎ686098
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
02/12/2026 .
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The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development (McClain) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 94 - 329
4 and insert:
5 activities. Reserve areas may not include golf courses or data
6 centers.
7 (h) “Special assessment district” means a community
8 development district, municipal services taxing district,
9 municipal services benefit district, or other district available
10 under state law that allows for the assessment of ad valorem or
11 non-ad valorem taxes on parcels of real property located within
12 a blue ribbon project for the purpose of constructing,
13 maintaining, repairing, and replacing capital improvements that
14 serve the blue ribbon project. The term does not include an
15 improvement district.
16 (3) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—A development project must meet
17 all of the following requirements to qualify as a blue ribbon
18 project:
19 (a) The project must contain a minimum of 10,000 acres of
20 land which are contiguous as defined in s. 163.3163(3)(a) and
21 which are owned by the same person or by entities owned or
22 controlled by the same person, and the majority of which are not
23 located within a municipality.
24 (b) At least 60 percent of the land contained in the
25 project must be reserve area. If any project boundary is
26 contiguous to state-owned environmental preservation land or the
27 Florida wildlife corridor, a portion of the project’s reserve
28 area must be located adjacent to the state-owned land or the
29 Florida wildlife corridor, as applicable.
30 (c) Up to 40 percent of the land contained in the project
31 may be development area. The development area must meet all of
32 the following requirements:
33 1. Individual development areas within the project must be
34 designed to enhance walkability and mobility and must include a
35 mix of land uses.
36 2. At least 15 percent of the development area must be
37 allocated to nonresidential land uses, which may include mixed
38 use buildings that contain ground floor nonresidential units.
39 Conservation easement areas may not be counted toward the 15
40 percent.
41 3. A portion of the development area must be allocated to
42 uses intended to provide economic development and create high
43 wage jobs. The development area so allocated must be in a
44 location that is within 60 miles of an interstate interchange,
45 an active rail line, or a regional or international airport or
46 other transportation facility.
47 4. The development area must have a dense, walkable, mixed
48 use, human-centered development pattern that includes new urban
49 design, including, but not limited to, towns, villages, and
50 hamlets that have reserve area between them.
51 5. Types of residential units within the development area
52 must be varied and include single-family, multifamily, and
53 attached and detached residential units.
54 (4) DEVELOPMENT AREA DENSITIES AND INTENSITIES.—
55 (a) A maximum residential density of 12 units per gross
56 acre, and a maximum nonresidential intensity of 85 percent
57 impervious surface ratio per gross acre, is permitted within the
58 development area, as measured in combination throughout all
59 phases of the project.
60 (b) At least 20 percent of residential units within the
61 development area in each phase of the project must be a
62 combination of the following:
63 1. Affordable housing, with initial sale prices and ongoing
64 rents at or below 80 percent of adjusted gross income, as
65 defined in s. 420.602, for the county in which the development
66 area is located.
67 2. Missing middle housing.
68 3. Housing for people eligible for the Florida Hometown
69 Hero Program under s. 420.5096.
70 (c) The development area may be developed in phases to
71 accommodate growth projections in the geographical area in which
72 the project is located. Development rights and mitigation of
73 project impacts shall be vested for at least 50 years. If the
74 applicant achieves development as defined in s. 380.04 of at
75 least 50 percent of the development area within 50 years after
76 the project’s date of initial public dedication of
77 infrastructure, the vested period must be extended for an
78 additional 25 years.
79 (5) BLUE RIBBON PLANS.—A blue ribbon project must have a
80 blue ribbon plan, which is the master development plan for the
81 project. Blue ribbon plans must include a document that
82 addresses the requirements of this section and exhibits,
83 including maps, illustrations, and text supported by data and
84 analysis, that demonstrate compliance therewith. The plan must
85 include all of the following:
86 (a) A long-term master development map that, at a minimum,
87 generally depicts the locations of reserve area and development
88 area throughout the project area.
89 (b) Identification and analysis of necessary water supplies
90 and available sources of water, including water resource
91 development and water supply development projects, and water
92 conservation measures required to meet the projected demand from
93 each phase of the project. Water and wastewater facilities must
94 be provided in compliance with s. 163.3180. Such facilities may
95 be provided by the applicant; a local unit of special purpose
96 government or a special district, except an improvement
97 district; a local government; or the state. Local governments
98 are encouraged to enter into public-private partnerships to
99 accomplish water storage and other water quality and capacity
100 improvements within the boundaries of blue ribbon projects
101 pursuant to s. 373.4591.
102 (c) Identification and analysis of the transportation
103 facilities and future transportation corridors necessary to
104 serve development area land uses in the master development plan,
105 including guidelines to be used to establish each modal
106 component intended to optimize mobility. Transportation
107 facilities must be provided in compliance with s. 163.3180. Such
108 facilities must be provided by the applicant or a special
109 assessment district created at the request of the applicant. A
110 special assessment district, a local government, or the state
111 may enter into a public-private partnership with the applicant
112 pursuant to s. 255.065 to provide such facilities. Internal
113 roads must be designed in accordance with the Department of
114 Transportation’s traditional neighborhood development guidelines
115 provided in chapter 19 of the Manual of Uniform Minimum
116 Standards for Design, Construction and Maintenance for Streets
117 and Highways, 2023 edition.
118 (d) Identification of other regionally significant public
119 facilities necessary to support the project’s permitted density
120 as provided in paragraph (4)(a) for each phase of the project,
121 which facilities must include utilities, parks, and schools, and
122 policies providing the procedures to mitigate the impacts of the
123 project’s permitted density on public facilities. Public
124 facilities must be provided in compliance with s. 163.3180. Such
125 facilities must be provided by the applicant or a special
126 assessment district created at the request of the applicant. A
127 special assessment district, a local government, or the state
128 may enter into a public-private partnership with the applicant
129 pursuant to s. 255.065 to provide such facilities.
130 (e) Identification of regionally significant natural
131 resources within the reserve area based on the best available
132 data and policies, and provision of mechanisms to ensure the
133 perpetual protection or conservation of specific resources,
134 consistent with the overall conservation and development
135 strategy for the project area. The provision of regionally
136 significant natural resources within the reserve area is
137 determined to be a net ecosystem benefit.
138 (f) General principles and guidelines that do all of the
139 following:
140 1. Address the land uses within the development area and
141 reserve area, and the interrelationships between such areas.
142 2. Address the protection and, as appropriate, restoration
143 and management of reserve areas identified in the recorded blue
144 ribbon plan for permanent conservation and public use, which
145 must be phased in coordination with the phased development
146 within the development area as specified in the master
147 development plan.
148 3. Achieve a cleaner, healthier environment.
149 4. Limit urban sprawl.
150 5. Provide a range of housing types.
151 6. Protect wildlife and natural areas.
152 7. Advance the efficient use of land and other resources.
153 8. Create quality communities of a design that reduces and
154 captures vehicle trips and promotes mobility options.
155 9. Enhance the prospects for state and local economic
156 development objectives and high-wage job creation.
157 (g) Development standards for each type of land use
158 proposed within the development area which is typically found in
159 a planned unit development as defined in s. 163.3202(5)(b) and
160 which is consistent with new urban design.
161 (h) Provision for an easement granted without charge to the
162 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under s. 570.71
163 for any portion of the reserve area which will be reserved for
164 uses consistent with the public purposes provided in s.
165 570.71(1). The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
166 and the landowner must enter into an agreement regarding
167 allowable uses for the easement interest before an easement is
168 granted. The plan must also include a covenant that any easement
169 or property granted to another state agency, a water management
170 district, or a local government will be granted without charge.
171
172 A blue ribbon plan must be based on a planning period longer
173 than the generally applicable planning period of the local
174 comprehensive plan and must specify the projected population
175 within the planning area during the chosen planning period. A
176 plan is not required to demonstrate need based on projected
177 population growth or any other basis. If under the plan a
178 project contributes land or funds or otherwise causes the
179 construction of public facilities pursuant to s. 163.3180, the
180 project must receive dollar-for-dollar credits against impact,
181 mobility, proportionate share, or other fee credits from the
182 local government for such facility improvements as required by
183 s. 163.3180. Impact fees must be calculated as applicable at the
184 time of issuance of building permits.
185 (6) STATE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF BLUE RIBBON PLANS.—In
186 order to initiate approval of a blue ribbon plan, a landowner
187 shall apply first to the Department of Commerce for approval of
188 a blue ribbon project. The application must include a blue
189 ribbon plan that meets the requirements of subsection (5). The
190 department’s review of a project is limited to a review for
191 compliance with this section. The department shall provide
192 copies of the application to the Department of Agriculture and
193 Consumer Services, the Department of Environmental Protection,
194 the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Department of
195 Transportation, and the applicable water management district for
196 review and comment within each entity’s respective legal purview
197 on the plan’s compliance with this section. Such entities shall
198 provide written comments to the Department of Commerce within 21
199 days after receipt of the application by the department. Within
200 45 days after receipt of the application, the department shall
201 approve the application or provide to the applicant a written
202 notice that identifies with specificity any areas of
203 noncompliance and includes the written comments received from
204 the specified entities. If the department fails to either
205 approve the application or provide such notice within 45 days
206 after receipt of the application, or fails to provide a written
207 approval or denial of the application within 20 days after the
208 applicant provides a response to the notice, the application is
209 automatically approved by the department. At any point after the
210 department’s initial 45-day review period, the applicant may
211 request a final determination of approval or denial by the
212 department, and the department must provide the determination
213 within 7 days after receipt of the request. If the department
214 fails to provide the determination within the 7-day period, the
215 application is automatically approved by the department.
216 (7) LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF BLUE RIBBON
217 PLANS.—
218 (a) A blue ribbon project may be located on land with any
219 future land use designation provided in the applicable local
220 government’s comprehensive plan and with any zoning designation
221 listed in the applicable local government’s land development
222 regulations. A local government’s approval of a project creates
223 an overlay special district within the local government’s
224 comprehensive plan which must adhere to the project’s blue
225 ribbon plan. A local government may not require a comprehensive
226 plan amendment or rezoning for approval of a project.
227 (b)1. Upon approval of a blue ribbon project by the
228 Department of Commerce, the landowner shall apply to the local
229 government for approval of the project. If the project is
230 located within more than one local government’s jurisdiction,
231 the landowner must apply to each applicable local government. In
232 reviewing the project, each applicable local government shall
233 apply subsections (3), (4), and (5) to the project as a whole.
234 2. Within 30 days after receipt of an application for
235 approval of a project, the local government shall conduct a duly
236 noticed public workshop at which the project is presented. The
237 applicant must be permitted to attend and participate in the
238 workshop.
239 3. The local government shall review the project within 15
240 days after receipt of the application. The review is limited to
241 a review for compliance with this section. A project that is in
242 compliance with this section must be administratively approved
243 without further action by the local government or any quasi
244 judicial or administrative reviewing body. A project approved by
245 the Department of Commerce is presumed to be in compliance with
246 this section. In order for a local government to overcome such
247 presumption, the local government must find that the blue ribbon
248 plan does not comply with subsection (5). If the local
249 government makes such a finding, the local government must
250 provide a written notice to the applicant which identifies with
251 specificity the area of noncompliance and provides the applicant
252 60 days to respond and submit any information necessary to
253 comply with subsection (5). If the local government fails to
254 provide such notice within 90 days after receipt of the
255 application, or fails to provide a written approval or denial of
256 the application within 30 days after the applicant provides a
257 response to such notice, the application is automatically
258 approved. At any point after the local government’s initial 90
259 day review period, the applicant may request a final
260 determination of approval or denial by the local government, and
261 the local government must provide the determination within 7
262 days after receipt of the request. If the local government fails
263 to provide the determination within the 7-day period, the
264 application is automatically approved.
265 (c) Applicants may hire private companies to conduct plan
266 reviews and building inspections pursuant to s. 553.791.
267 (d) If a blue ribbon project is approved, the applicant
268 must publish notice of such approval in a newspaper of general
269 circulation in the area in which the land is located. The notice
270 must include the local government order number, if any; the
271 section, township, and range in which the land is located; and a
272 description of the project. The notice must be published within
273 14 days after the approval is issued.
274 (e) After a blue ribbon project has been reviewed and
275 approved, the applicant must record the blue ribbon plan in the
276 public records of the county in which the project property is
277 located, and the plan shall run with title to the land. The
278 applicant may not amend the recorded plan without undergoing
279 local government review of the plan amendment in accordance with
280 paragraph (b). Local government review of a plan amendment is
281 limited to the portions of the plan which are being revised.
282 (8) APPEAL PROCEDURE.—
283 (a)1. If the Department of Commerce denies an application
284 for a blue ribbon project, the applicant may request an
285 administrative hearing pursuant to ss. 120.569 and 120.57 within
286 21 days after the date on which the applicant receives the
287 department’s written denial.
288 2. If a local government denies an application for a blue
289 ribbon project, the applicant may appeal the decision by filing
290 a written petition with the Department of Commerce within 21
291 days after the date on which the applicant receives the local
292 government’s written denial. The applicant shall provide a copy
293 of the notice of appeal to the local government.
294 (b) Any person whose substantial interests are or may be
295 affected by the local government’s approval of a blue ribbon
296 project may request an administrative hearing by filing a
297 written petition with the Department of Commerce pursuant to ss.
298 120.569 and 120.57. The petition must be filed with the
299 Department of Commerce within 21 days after newspaper
300 publication of the notice of the local government decision in
301 accordance with paragraph (7)(d). The petition must clearly
302 state the reasons for the petition and describe how the project
303 will adversely affect the person more substantially than the
304 general population of the geographic area in which the project
305 is located. A copy of the petition must also be provided to the
306 local government. If a petition is timely filed pursuant to this
307 paragraph, the applicant may intervene as a party to the
308 hearing.
309 (c) Before issuing an order on an appeal or petition under
310 this subsection, the Department of Commerce must hold a hearing
311 in accordance with chapter 120.
312 (d) The Department of Commerce shall determine whether the
313 blue ribbon project meets the requirements of this section and
314 issue a final order granting or denying the application. The
315 department may attach conditions and restrictions to the order.
316 The department may provide a determination in the final order
317 which is different from the determination it provided after
318 review of the application under subsection (6).
319 (e) Section 120.595 applies to proceedings brought by a
320 person whose substantial interests are or may be affected by the
321 local government’s approval of a blue ribbon project under this
322 section.
323 (9) A blue ribbon project must comply with applicable
324 provisions of chapters 373 and 403.
325
326 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
327 And the title is amended as follows:
328 Delete lines 21 - 51
329 and insert:
330 circumstances; requiring that impact fees be
331 calculated as applicable at the time of issuance of
332 building permits; requiring a landowner to apply to
333 the Department of Commerce for approval of a project
334 in order to initiate approval of a blue ribbon plan;
335 requiring that the application include a blue ribbon
336 plan that meets specified requirements; limiting the
337 scope of the department’s review; requiring the
338 department to provide copies of the application to
339 specified entities for certain review and comment;
340 requiring such entities to provide written comments to
341 the department with a specified timeframe; requiring
342 the department to approve the application or provide
343 the applicant with a certain notice within a specified
344 timeframe; providing for automatic approval of a
345 project under certain circumstances; specifying that a
346 project may be located on land with any future land
347 use designation or zoning designation; providing that
348 local government approval of a project creates a
349 certain overlay special district; prohibiting a local
350 government from requiring a comprehensive plan
351 amendment or rezoning for approval of a project;
352 requiring a landowner to apply to the local government
353 for approval of a project upon department approval;
354 requiring a landowner to apply to multiple local
355 governments under certain circumstances; requiring a
356 local government to conduct a certain public workshop
357 within a specified timeframe after receipt of an
358 application; requiring that an applicant be permitted
359 to attend and participate in the workshop; requiring a
360 local government to review a project within a certain
361 timeframe after receipt of an application; limiting
362 the scope of the local government’s review; requiring
363 that certain projects be administratively approved;
364 providing that projects approved by the department are
365 presumed to comply with certain provisions; providing
366 that a local government may overcome such presumption
367 in a certain manner; providing for automatic approval
368 of a project under certain circumstances; authorizing
369 applicants to hire private companies to conduct plan
370 reviews and building inspections; requiring an
371 applicant to publish notice of an approved project in
372 a specified manner; requiring an applicant to record
373 the plan for an approved project in the public records
374 of the county in which the project property is
375 located; prohibiting an applicant from amending a
376 recorded plan without undergoing a specified review;
377 limiting the scope of such review; authorizing an
378 applicant to appeal the denial of a project
379 application to the department in a specified manner
380 and within a specified timeframe; authorizing a person
381 whose substantial interests are or may be affected by
382 approval of a project to file a written petition with
383 the department requesting an administrative hearing in
384 a specified manner and within a specified timeframe;
385 providing requirements for such petition; authorizing
386 an applicant to intervene as a party to a hearing
387 under certain circumstances; requiring the department
388 to hold certain hearings before issuing certain
389 orders; requiring the department to determine whether
390 a project meets certain requirements and issue a final
391 order; specifying that the department may provide a
392 different determination in the final order; providing
393 applicability; requiring that a project comply with
394 certain provisions; providing an effective date.