Our Legislative Bill Tracker is your go-to resource for staying informed throughout the legislative session. Every day, we review new bills as they are filed and analyze how they could impact Florida’s farms, ranches, and environmental lands.
On our Bill Tracker page, you’ll find a regularly updated list of the legislation we’re following—clearly marked with whether Defending Rural Florida supports, opposes, or is monitoring each bill.
The tracker is updated daily to reflect any new actions taken on bills, including committee referrals, amendments, and votes. This allows our members and supporters to stay current and engaged as these proposals move through the legislative process.
Stay informed. Stay involved. Together, we can defend Florida’s rural lands and way of life.
Be sure to join our Legislative Action Team! We’ll send you timely alerts on when and how to take action so your voice is heard in Tallahassee.
SB 354/HB 299 establishes a new, statewide land-use category allowing massive “Blue
Ribbon Projects” of at least 10,000 acres to be approved with minimal local government
oversight. While the bill requires that 60% of the property be reserved for conservation
or agriculture, it allows up to 40% (4,000 acres) to be developed at densities as high as
12 units per acre, potentially adding tens of thousands of new residents in a single
project. Projects that meet the bill’s minimal criteria must be approved administratively.
No comprehensive plan amendment or rezoning is required. Local governments and
residents lose all meaningful say in where or how these massive developments occur.
This bill is a statewide preemption of local authority that invites unchecked urbanization
of Florida’s rural counties under the guise of conservation. Even with 60% reserved
land, the scale and density of development permitted would erode rural character, strain
infrastructure, and eliminate meaningful public input from the very communities affected.
SB 150 could become a powerful tool for developers to challenge local zoning laws and
community growth limits. By allowing any business to appeal a local government action
deemed “arbitrary or unreasonable,” developers could claim that zoning restrictions,
density limits, or growth management decisions unfairly restrict their projects. If a county
or city fails to respond within 30 days, the developer could take them to court and
potentially win damages and attorney fees. This would place tremendous pressure on
local governments to approve projects rather than risk costly lawsuits, effectively
undermining local control over land use and community planning.
SB 208 would prohibit local land development regulations from denying or conditioning
residential development in certain cases just because of “lack of compatibility.” That
means local governments might have a harder time stopping denser or different kinds of
residential development from popping up right next to existing development or in more
rural zones, even if the character (scale, density, appearance) changes. Over time, this
could lead to more development on the fringes of rural areas. This bill is part of a
broader trend of state preemption over local land-use decision-making. If local
governments lose more power to reject development or to impose meaningful
conditions, rural land becomes more vulnerable to conversion.
If enacted, SB 218/HB 217 would effectively exempt eleven counties in Northwest
Florida and three counties in South Florida from the provisions of SB 180 (Section 28).
The majority of counties (53) in Florida that were declared disaster areas from one or
more of the 2024 hurricanes were classified as both Public Assistance (PA) and
Individual Assistance (IA). This means these counties would receive no relief from SB
180 if SB 218 is adopted.
While SB 218/HB 217 would provide relief to 14 of Florida’s 67 counties, the harm
caused by SB 180 extends far beyond any single region. Defending Rural Florida
cannot support a partial fix. We will continue to advocate this session for comprehensive
legislation that protects all counties and municipalities from the overreach and
consequences of SB 180. Florida needs legislation that safeguards all Floridians, not
just those in select counties.
SB 48/HB 313 is being promoted as a solution to Florida’s housing challenges. In reality,
it’s another top-down state mandate that undermines local governments and silences
Florida residents. Under the banner of “affordable housing,” SB 48 would force cities
and counties to allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—often called “granny flats” or
“backyard apartments”—in all single-family residential neighborhoods. The bill also
loosens density restrictions and bypasses traditional local review processes. By
mandating increased density on land currently zoned for single-family homes, SB 48
would place additional strain on water systems, roads, emergency services, and
schools, while undermining the comprehensive plans that guide sustainable,
community-based growth. Florida is not a one-size-fits-all state. What might make
sense for urban areas like downtown Tampa or Miami does not fit the realities of rural
and suburban communities. Yet SB 48 imposes a uniform zoning policy across all
communities, regardless of local conditions or citizen input.
HB 167 is being framed as a tool to facilitate redevelopment of former phosphate mines,
it effectively shields landowners and mining companies from accountability for
radioactive contamination. By creating presumptive legal protections and relying on
limited gamma radiation surveys, the bill could make it harder for affected residents and
communities to pursue claims related to long-term environmental and publichealth
impacts. In rural Florida, where these lands often border working farms, ranches, and
natural habitats, HB 167 risks exposing people, livestock, and ecosystems to
contamination while prioritizing economic development over safety and environmental
stewardship.
SB 200/HB 193. SB 200 outlines requirements for energy companies to decommission
solar farms after they have reached the end of their operational life to ensure that when
a solar facility is decommissioned, the land is restored to its original agricultural use,
such as farming, ranching, or other productive rural purposes. Decommissioning
language alone does not address the core problem, the loss of local control over land
use decisions.
Rural Floridians deserve the right to determine whether they want industrial solar
installations in their communities. responsible solar legislation must include language
restoring local authority over solar siting decisions and repealing the automatic
“permitted use” designation established by SB 896 (2021).
SB 290/HB 433 is a large, omnibus Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services bill and
covers several statutes covering Agriculture. We are monitoring this bill, but we fully
support the section of SB 290/HB 433 that makes major changes to how state and local
governments handle the surplus and disposition of public lands, particularly those with
agricultural potential. The bill requires the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) to
review any locally surplused lands and determine whether those lands are suitable for
bona fide agricultural purposes. If the ARC finds a property to be suitable for agriculture,
future development rights may not be transferred for that land. In addition, the bill
directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)—working jointly with the
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)—to identify state-owned
conservation lands that could be used for bona fide agriculture. The DEP is then
authorized to surplus those lands for agricultural use, but the state must retain a rural-
lands protection easement to ensure the property remains in agricultural production
rather than being developed.
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