Help protect local decision-making--urge the Senate Community Affairs Committee to vote NO on SB 1118 when it is heard on Monday, March 17.
 
SB 1118 (McClain) would strip communities of their ability to guide responsible growth by allowing certain property owners to bypass local zoning and land use rules. Specifically, these bills would:
  • Override local planning authority by requiring local governments to automatically approve development in areas considered "agricultural enclaves" and so-called "infill residential development," Infill residential projects can be up to 100 acres and agricultural enclaves could be thousands of acres in size. 
  • Expand the types of properties that qualify as agricultural enclaves and require local governments to treat parcels adjacent to an urban service district as if they were inside of the urban services district. This could open the floodgates for development in areas specifically reserved by counties to remain rural and agricultural.  
  • Prohibit local governments from restricting residential densities in optional elements of their comprehensive plans. 
These changes would silence residents and fast-track development in sensitive rural and agricultural areas with little to no oversight. Please urge legislators to vote NO on SB 1118.
 
Want to take your advocacy a step further? When calling/emailing your legislators, you can share a personal anecdote about why smart growth and preventing urban sprawl is important to you and your community, and/or talk about a local rural protection ordinance you value that would be undermined by this legislation (for example, Marion County's Farmland Preservation Area, or Rural Boundaries in Orange and Seminole counties).