Florida’s 2025 legislative session continued a recent trend of addressing land use and development matters. Senate Bill 784, which relates to platting and the subdivision of land, amends Section 177.071 of the Florida Statutes to require that all applications for plat approval be approved administratively by a designated local government administrative official rather than having to obtain approval before a local governing body at a public meeting. To implement this new law, local governments are required to designate by ordinance, or resolution an administrative official with authority to review and approve plats.
Senate Bill 784 also provides for a more streamlined review process, including specific timeframes for reviewing and approving plats. Specifically, the local government is required to notify the applicant within seven (7) days of receipt of a plat application if any information is incomplete. In addition, they must advise the applicant of a specific timeframe for processing and approving the plat. Provided that the plat application complies with all technical requirements outlined in Section 177.091 of the Florida Statutes, the local government must then administratively approve the plat within the identified timeframe. Where a property lies exclusively within the jurisdiction of a municipality, the municipality has exclusive jurisdiction to approve the plat, which may obviate the need for concurrent county review if that is currently required. These provisions should significantly shorten the review process for platting, which is often a lengthy and costly process in many jurisdictions.
One important caveat to the new law is that any provision in a county charter, or in an ordinance of any charter county or consolidated government charted under Section 6(e), Article VIII of the State Constitution, which is inconsistent with anything contained in this new law, shall prevail in such charter or consolidated government to the extent of such inconsistency. For reference, there are approximately 20 charter counties in Florida, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Orange County. There are also a few consolidated governments, including Jacksonville, which merged with Duval County. The impact of this new legislation on these counties and municipalities will require careful review and consideration.
Senate Bill 784 was signed by the Governor, and took effect on July 1, 2025. For more information on this new law and its applicability, contact David J. Coviello.
