DeSantis vetoes Perry’s growth management bill

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed SB 410 – Growth Management, which was sponsored by State Senator Keith Perry. Among other things, the bill required all local governments to incorporate a property rights element into their comprehensive plans. The bill also stipulated that local governments “may not adopt any comprehensive plan, land development regulation, or another form of restriction that limits the use of property located within a municipality, unless the municipality adopts such land use policies through its own ordinances” or “limit a municipality from deciding the land uses, density, and intensity allowed on lands annexed into a municipality.

The bill passed the Florida Senate 23-16 and the Florida House 71-43. 

The Alachua County Commission recently voted to place a charter amendment on the November ballot that would “establish a ‘Rural Area’ of Alachua County within which the County’s Comprehensive Plan and land development regulations would govern land development regardless of whether those areas are within a municipality.” As part of that vote, they agreed to hire attorneys to challenge SB 410 if DeSantis signed it.

The smaller municipalities in the county are concerned that the charter amendment would limit their ability to control the land use of any areas they annex into a city from the county.

Keith Perry said he is disappointed that the governor vetoed the bill: “The League of Counties fought this bill on home rule principles. It’s blatant hypocrisy to talk about home rule while the Alachua County Commission is proposing a charter amendment that would take away home rule from cities.”