HB 7103 – Relating to Property Development

On Wednesday, April 10, HB 7103 by the House Judiciary Committee, was heard in the House State Affairs Committee and was reported favorably with 14 yeas and 8 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this legislation.

Property development in Florida is governed in part by both the Community Planning Act and the Florida Building Code. The Community Planning Act governs how local governments create and adopt local comprehensive plans, implement land development regulations, and issue development orders and permits. Every local government must enforce the Building Code and issue building permits. Local governments impose impact fees to fund local infrastructure needed to expand local services to meet the demands of population growth caused by development.

This bill changes property development regulations by:

• Restricting counties and municipalities from adopting or imposing certain mandatory affordable housing ordinances;
• Imposing time limits for a county or municipality to review a development order or permit application;
• Reducing the time period building departments have to review a permit application when a private provider approves the plans;
• Prohibiting a building official from replicating plan reviews or inspections performed by a private provider;
• Amending how a local government may impose impact fees.

HB 7103 will now move to the House floor.

AIF supports legislative efforts to remove onerous regulations imposed on any part of Florida’s business community.