A brief history of rational planning in Florida and its demise

The Community Planning Act of 2011 broke Florida's regulatory structure that had for more than 20 years attempted to review development plans and foster an orderly, sensible approach to the construction of homes, commercial centers, roads, and much more.

The Act, for example, makes it possible for a developer to ignore existing road deficiencies, says Nancy Stroud, writing for the John Marshall Law Review:

How has the disruption of regulatory measures impacted Florida? We have this benchmark for the period leading up to the Community Planning Act:

Former DCA Secretary Tom Pelham has pointed out that from 2007 to 2010, the state approved 1.5 billion square feet of commercial development in addition to nearly 600,000 new housing units and nearly 1 million acres of land use changes. FloridaEnvironments.com

What about since 2011? Has any study looked at what's happened in the past 6 years?

In her conclusion, Stroud speaks of Florida's "retreat from meaningful state or regional authority":

Ironically, says Stroud, the state's abdication of rational safeguards in the face of rampant growth might, quite illogically, rely on the advocacy of regular people who happen to care:

The complete text of Stroud's article is here.

Proposed changes to DRI Review

Sarasota County is seeking your input on proposed changes to the application and review process for Developments of Regional Impact and Developments of Critical Concern.   What are these development types? Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs):  developments of more than 2,000 dwelling units. Developments of Critical Concern (DOCCs):  developments including 1,000 to 2,000 dwelling units.   Why are changes being proposed? Because of their large scale, DRIs and DOCCs have historically required a coordinated and clearly-defined review process by local, state and regional agencies.   DRIs: In 2015, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1216, which eliminated the DRI review process and requirements for new large scale developments: eliminating the existing review process and requirements for DRI applications and instituting a Comprehensive Plan Amendment process for large scale developments.   DOCCs: Sarasota County's DOCC review process was not impacted by this statutory change, but now is ripe for re-evaluation.   What changes are being proposed? Eliminate a separate DOCC application and ordinance for new projects, and amend the rezone application requirements for large-scale developments (encompassing both DRIs and DOCCs).   The amended application requirements would include: requiring a methodology meeting prior to application submittal an addendum to the rezone application specifically for large-scale projects additional analysis based on the application addendum   How can you share your thoughts on this process? The Planning and Development Services Department will be collecting public comment between now and March 21, 2016, in preparation for anApril 26, 2016, County Commission discussion. Please reserve time to speak with planning staff about the proposed changes by calling 941-861-5000 or emailing planner@scgov.net.  Written comments will also be accepted at that email address, or mailed to: Planning & Development Services 1660 Ringling Blvd, 1st Floor Sarasota FL 34236

Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at https://www.scgov.net/ADA/Pages/default.aspx.

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