DeSantis Extends Emergency Declarations for Tornado-Damaged North Florida Counties

In recent weeks, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued executive orders extending two separate emergency declarations for counties in North Florida following a series of tornadoes that caused severe damage in the region.

On June 26, 2025, the governor extended Executive Orders 24-94 and 24-05, covering 15 counties still recovering from tornadoes that struck during storms in May 2024. Then, on July 10, 2025, Gov. DeSantis renewed state of emergency provisions for Holmes County, which sustained damage from tornadoes in May 2025. These orders extend the emergency declarations for the affected counties for an additional 60 days.

As a reminder, Florida law allows certain building permits to be tolled for the duration of the declaration and extended for up to 24 months — or 48 months in certain circumstances. Permit holder must provide written notice to the issuing authority of their intent to exercise the extension within 90 days after the termination of the declaration. Six types of permits and authorizations qualify for an extension under these circumstances:

1. The expiration of a development order issued by a local government, which includes a wide variety of local government approvals that permit development activities.
2. The expiration of a building permit.
3. The expiration of a permit issued by the Department of Environmental Protection or a water management district for management and storage of surface waters pursuant to Part IV of Chapter 373, Florida Statutes.
4. Consumptive water use permits issued by the Department of Environmental Protection or a water management district pursuant to Part II of Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, for land subject to a development agreement under sections163.3220-163.3243, Florida Statutes, in which the permittee and the developer are the same or a related entity.
5. The buildout date of a development of regional impact.
6. The expiration of a development permit or development agreement authorized by the Florida Statutes, including those authorized under the Florida Local Government Development Agreement Act under section 163.3221, Florida Statutes, or issued by a local government or other governmental agency.