The vote on SB 354 was postponed on Thursday after a lengthy debate on the Senate floor.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A controversial development bill in the Florida legislature hit a pause Thursday. Lawmakers were expected to vote on what is being called the Blue Ribbon Projects bill, but after debate in the Senate, that vote was postponed.
The bill would allow developers who own 15,000 acres of land to apply to become a Blue Ribbon Project. In order to be eligible, the land must be contiguous and not be in a municipality. At least 60% of the land must be ‘reserved’ while the other 40% can be developed.
According to the bill, the ‘reserve area’ of the project can include things such as wetlands, parks, lakes, utility sites, though it does not define what those utility sites could be, or just clear cut. The other 40% of the land can be developed for commercial or residential use, regardless of zoning laws or a county’s comprehensive plan.
Opponents of the bill believe its language is too vague. Sarah Strohminger grew up in Hastings and moved back to the area after getting her Masters.
“I have realized the older I’ve gotten, what a privilege it was to grow up in the woods, what a privilege it was to play outside and not worry about much and have your own yard and your own space,” Strohminger explained.
Strohminger traveled to Tallahassee this week to share her concerns with lawmakers ahead of Thursday’s vote. She is worried developers will take advantage of the language in the bill.
“The community between Hastings and St. Augustine that is the rest of rural St. Johns would be totally different five years from now,” Strohminger said.
Martin Pyszczymuka also lives in St. Johns County and spoke with lawmakers in Tallahassee this week. He is worried about the lack of local government involvement in these projects.
“This bill would completely take parts of land that is zoned for agriculture and are outside of our comprehensive plan, and put them in the hands of a giant developer or corporation and pretty much give them carte blanche to do what they want with them,” Pyszczymuka explained.
The bill was met with debate on Thursday with a handful of senators encouraging their colleagues to vote against it, and only one senator showing his support.
“I think it’s the right thing to do. I’ve talked to some people in rural communities who say, ‘bring whatever you can that represents growth and development for our area. We need it. We need it.’ This is one of those things,” Sen. Jim Boyd, (R) Bradenton, said.