With the Florida legislative session at its midpoint, some environmentalists have raised concerns about bills they say would reduce local control over pollution and new developments.
One of the most talked-about changes to growth regulation would tweak a law passed last year. It prohibited local governments from stopping redevelopment on properties that were hit by hurricanes in 2024.
Legislation in the Senate would roll back some of those regulations. But Kimberleigh Dinkins of the smart-growth advocacy group 1,000 Friends of Florida says the House doesn't have a version of the bill yet.
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"The House seems to be playing an unfortunate game with our local controls," Dinkins said. "And unless leadership steps in, we may not be able to see this resolved this session."
Dinkins says this "one size fits all" regulation strips away the ability of local communities to adapt rules to fit their own needs.
But some environmentalists are finding hope in several bills. One — by State Rep. Kim Kendall of St. John's County — would require the state to give at least 30 days' notice if the state is selling conservation land.
A proposed land swap with a developer in her district was stopped after it was publicized just one week before a scheduled vote. Paul Owens, president of 1,000 Friends of Florida, says the incident motivated Kendall.
"While a public backlash was enough to defeat the swap, Kendall said the episode highlighted gaps in procedures to protect conservation land," he said."
Another swap for part of the Withlacoochee State Forest in Hernando County was stopped only after a public outcry last year.
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