ORLANDO, Fla. — A growing pushback against the Florida government from its own cities and towns is now threatening to enter the courts — and become the biggest issue for lawmakers to sort out when they return in January.
On Tuesday, Windermere became the latest city to sign on to a proposed lawsuit over SB 180, which bans local governments from passing new restrictions on development for the next two years.
The law is also retroactive to 2023, before hurricanes whacked Florida and caused renewed attention to flooding and building standards.
Lake County and Maitland leaders also discussed the lawsuit this week. More commissions and councils are expected to sign on throughout the month, calling SB 180 a violation of state laws that empower local governments to govern their own turf.
“They’ve been whittling away at Home Rule forever, but this just seems like such a blatant violation,” one Lake County leader said.
SB 180 was originally intended to help homeowners in hard-hit areas rebuild without additional red tape. On the last day of debate, a provision was snuck into the law that affected the rest of the state.
Some lawmakers admitted they weren’t aware of the provision when they voted for the law.
Orange County has already felt its effects. Vision 2050, the development codes that have been in the works for years, were blocked. Its proposed rural boundary passed by voters last fall is now the target of a lawsuit.
The lawsuit that Windermere and others have signed onto asks the judge to declare SB 180 unconstitutional. The attorney behind the effort, South Florida-based Jamie Alan Cole, says he plans to file it in early September.
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