SB 180 - Emergencies

Written By Ryan Worthington

CURRENT ISSUE:

Senate Bill 180, titled “Emergencies”, was signed into law on June 26th, 2025.  The bill was touted as helping Floridians rebuild after severe weather events without being affected by “restrictive or burdensome” local regulations or zoning changes.  Developers immediately seized upon the ambiguous language in the bill to threaten to sue local governments if they had recently implemented or planned to implement any plans or codes that would adversely affect developers' ability to build. 

Why is this bad?

  • Developers can stop Floridians and local governments from instituting comprehensive plans or zoning changes that would impede development or taking any measure that developers consider “ more restrictive or burdensome” to development.

  • Developers can sue to prevent any impact fee increases (the fees that developers pay for the additional infrastructure required to support their developments (roads, etc.)

  • Local governments (cities, counties, etc.) cannot make changes to codes and/or zoning, effectively tying their hands.

  • Floridians hardly have a say about restricting or controlling development in their local areas. 

 

TAKE ACTION:

Support SB 840: Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters (see updates on the bill here). While no bill so far completely addressed the issues with SB 180, supporting SB 840 and its companion bill HB 1465: Restrictions on Local Government Regulations After a Hurricane (see updates on this bill here) would be the best option for the 2026 legislative session.

 

Find your Florida State Senator here:  Find Your Legislators - The Florida Senate

 
Ryan Worthington
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