Community Planning Glitch Bill Headed to Gov. Scott's Desk

House Bill 7081 is headed to Governor Scott's desk after being passed by the Senate yesterday. The bill approves language settling Yankeetown v. DEO (37 2011 CA 002036). Yankeetown had asked the court to declare that the Community Planning Act, HB 7207 (ch. 2011-139, Laws of Fla.), was unconstitutional. The real rub for Yankeetown was that the Act did not grandfather previously-enacted local government comprehensive planning referendum requirements when it prohibited them. This glitch reportedly also affected Longboat Key, Key West, and Miami Beach.

The House staff analysis is available here. It notes some other effects of the bill:

• clarifying provisions relating to the coordination between local governments and military installations regarding local land use decisions;
• providing criteria for municipalities and the unincorporated area within a county to use in determining population projections;
• removing criteria that exempts certain municipalities from being signatories to the school interlocal agreement as a prerequisite to implementing school concurrency, because school concurrency is now optional, and restoring criteria to exempt certain municipalities from being a party to the school interlocal agreement; 
• extending the time for the state land planning agency and the Administration Commission to issue recommended and final orders, since the current time requirement is unworkable, and providing a time requirement for the state land planning agency to issue a notice of intent for a plan amendment adopted pursuant to a compliance agreement;
• deleting a required annual report by the Department of Economic Opportunity related to the optional sector plan pilot program.