ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida lawmakers’ push to pre-empt local governments from controlling development within their borders continued this week when a pair of lawmakers filed bills that keep councils and commissions high and dry.
SB 718, filed by Marion County State Senator Stan McClain, restricts local governments from passing regulations related to water quality, pollution control, pollutant discharge prevention or removal, or wetlands.
McClain’s bill was matched with an identical House proposal filed by Pasco representative Randy Maggard.
The bill follows another one by McClain, SB 354, which would require local governments to rubber stamp mega developments that met a particular set of rules set by the state.
Orange County commissioners and staff say lawmakers are being pressured by developers who find it easier to convince their allies in Tallahassee to pass a sweeping bill than face residents who want more restrictions on development.
There has been a tough push from developers eyeing the Deseret Ranch property in east Orange County, which fell into the county’s newly enacted Rural Boundary last year.
Lawmakers snuck a provision into a bill last session, SB 180, that pre-empted counties from enacting any new restrictions on development dating back to August of 2024 – before the rural boundary was voted into place.
SB 180 is now the subject of a lawsuit by local governments, who claim the state is infringing on home rule.
Proponents of preemption traditionally argue it’s better for the state to have a uniform set of rules rather than a patchwork developers need to navigate city-by-city.
McClain is a contractor by trade whose platform included water conservation and limited government. His staff has not responded to multiple requests for comment, including questions about where this push to control local development is coming from.
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