SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

  The Florida Legislature may reconsider next year a very bad law that prohibits approval of any measure by a local government that developers deem “burdensome or restrictive”.   Your help is needed to make it happen.   The law is known by its 2025 Senate bill number, SB 180 .  It was slipped by developer lobbyists into a bill for hurricane damage relief. Legislators were falsely told that it only protects the right to rebuild property damaged by a hurricane.    Instead, the new law , s. 252.422(2), Florida Statutes,  prohibits any county or city for one year after being within 100 miles of a hurricane path, from adopting   “a more restrictive or burdensome amendment to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations” or development approval procedure.   Restore good wetland protections?  Nope.  Rein in urban sprawl?  Nope.  Increase building setbacks or limit heights?  Nope.  Not even a little.  Our ...

Unity of Sarasota       Community News The following is from Miles Toder, Misty Creek resident and President of  Sarasota East Enders for Responsible Development (SEERD): The Sarasota Citizen Action Network (SCAN) concerned about overdevelopment and the need for better growth management with adequate infrastructure, public services and greater citizen involvement will hold its next meeting at Fellowship Hall, Unity of Sarasota, 3023 Proctor Road at 5:30 on Tuesday October 28th.  We have invited speakers from Audubon Society to speak about the County Commission's 5-0 vote yesterday once again turning down DR Horton's latest application for a zoning change at the Smith Farm adjacent to the Celery Fields; Phillippi Creek Coalition's effort to protect their neighborhood from flooding, and SEERD's ongoing battle with Sarasota County over its impacts in the Bee Ridge neighborhood.  Of strong concern to all are newly amended state laws that pre-empt local jurisdiction over ...

  Dear Thomas, Yesterday, 1000 Friends of Florida filed a  lawsuit against the Florida Department of Commerce  challenging  Senate Bill 180  — the sweeping state law passed during the 2025 Florida Legislative Session that freezes local comprehensive planning and strips communities of their authority to guide growth responsibly. More than just hurricane recovery, SB 180 silences local voices and blocks stronger planning measures for water, infrastructure, and environmental protection. Our lawsuit argues that it  violates the Florida Constitution  by overstepping legislative limits, undermining due process, and restricting local efforts to conserve natural resources. As 1000 Friends president  Paul Owens  said in today’s announcement: “SB 180 goes far beyond disaster recovery. It undermines communities of the basic ability to plan responsibly for growth, infrastructure, and the environment. Voters and local officials across the state are being ...