Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers just handed a legal sledgehammer to developers

July 31

20 mins

Episode Description

In this episode: Late last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 180, a sweeping new law intended to help communities better prepare for — and recover from — hurricanes. But developers around the state are now trying to use the new law to undermine local rules that help slow suburban sprawl. One industry group used Senate Bill 180 to sue a county in southwest Florida that raised fees on homebuilders. Another developer is threatening a similar suit in Orlando to eliminate protections for rural land. Did Tallahassee Republicans and industry lobbyists quietly work together to pull a fast one under the guise of hurricane recovery? Or are developers exploiting a well-intentioned law that was merely meant to make sure homeowners can rebuild after a storm?

Show notes

Senate Bill 180 – Emergencies

A few recent stories about the impact of Senate Bill 180:

Legislature wants to make it impossible for local governments to build back better after hurricanes

Florida bill could block communities from rebuilding stronger after hurricanes

Facing threat of lawsuits, Orange County may scrap its rural boundary

Manatee receives threat of litigation over increased impact fees

Burdensomely Vague Intentions

And two other stories mentioned in the podcast:

Florida chafes under flood-protection rules

Apple quietly lobbied to stop ‘Right to Repair’ bill, records show

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