Florida residents deserve a real voice in what gets built in their communities.

Senate Bill 686, now Florida law, creates a pathway for qualifying agricultural land to be developed even when the proposed development conflicts with a county’s comprehensive plan, future land-use designation, or existing zoning.

Under this law, an agricultural-enclave application can be automatically certified if the local government does not approve or deny it within 90 days. Once land is certified, development plans can be treated as a conforming use, and the county may be prevented from requiring another public hearing during the final approval process.

That means decisions affecting traffic, schools, flooding, water supplies, wildlife, emergency services, and the character of entire communities could move forward with residents having far less influence than they had before.

This is not about opposing every new home, neighborhood, or business. Florida is growing, and responsible development will be part of that growth.

But responsible development must include the people who already live there.

Developers should not be allowed to use one neighboring development to justify overriding a community’s carefully created comprehensive plan. A missed government deadline should never result in automatic approval of a project that could permanently transform hundreds or even thousands of acres.

SB 686 also says local governments are merely “encouraged” to protect established wildlife corridors when development affects them. Protecting Florida’s wildlife, water, rural land, and quality of life should be a real requirement—not an optional suggestion.

As a Florida resident, father, and community advocate, I believe decisions this important should be made openly, with residents in the room and all potential consequences considered.

We call on Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to repeal or immediately amend SB 686 by:

Eliminating automatic certification when a local government misses the 90-day deadline.
Restoring meaningful public hearings and local comprehensive-plan review before development is approved.
Preserving the authority of counties and municipalities to enforce locally adopted zoning and land-use protections.
Requiring thorough studies of traffic, flooding, water consumption, school capacity, emergency services, agricultural loss, and environmental effects.
Requiring meaningful protection of established wildlife corridors instead of merely encouraging it.
Refusing to extend these provisions beyond their scheduled January 1, 2028 expiration date.
Florida can build the housing and infrastructure it needs without silencing local residents or weakening responsible planning.

Please sign this petition and tell Florida’s leaders: restore local control, protect public participation, and fix SB 686 before irreversible development decisions are made.