Topic: Citizen Referendums

Bills eliminating state-level reviews of large development projects in more counties and environmental permitting regulations didn't make it out of the legislature but a bill favored by the real estate industry to entice insurers to write more flood insurance policies will go to Gov. Rick Scott's desk. Read more . . .

Two growth management bills are headed to governor while a third is hung up in Senate. Read more ..

The most controversial growth management bill this year, SB 372 dealing with developments of regional impact, appeared to have died Monday when the Senate Rules Committee temporarily passed it during the committee's final scheduled meeting.

Lawmakers are pushing bills this year to limit local governments' ability to charge transportation concurrency fees, reduce state reviews of local growth management decisions, require written notice to retain subsurface mineral rights and require Citizens Property Insurance Corp. customers to repair sinkhole damage only through approved contractors.

SB 372 would increase from eight to 15 the number of counties designated as "dense urban land areas" where those developments are excluded from state review as DRIs. Also Tuesday, HB 189 dealing with citizen referendums also passed its first committee stop.

HB 189 attempts to fix a glitch dealing with citizen referendums caused by a series of glitch bills. ... Related Research: Aug. 5, 2013 Longboat Key legal memo re citizen referendums.

Developers were back this year asking the Legislature to address growth management again after county attorneys said 2011 law changes didn't apply to some counties with mobility fee systems. Lawmakers also had more resources this year to deal with the backlog of foreclosure cases.

HB 537 passed the House Friday by a 116-0 vote. The legislation arose from a Circuit Court judge's ruling in Palm Beach County that a bill passed in 2012 opened the door to referendums on development ordinances, including comprehensive plan amendments.