Its Senate companion (SB 208<\/a>) by Ocala Republican Sen. Stan McClain, which does not contain the land-use restraints or environmental boundary provisions, has already advanced through two of three committee stops with uniform support.<\/p>\n Borrero framed HB 399 as a cost- and bureaucracy-cutting proposal that will add much-needed supply to a state where many counties have urgent demands for affordable housing. Today, he said, developers endure \u201can egregious amount of costs and red tape\u201d \u2014 millions per development, often \u2014 while seeking reviews for projects that may ultimately be denied approval.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go back to what is causing the housing crisis here in some of our communities in Florida, and I will submit to you that the housing crisis is one that is created by local governments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen local governments create this unpredictability, when they create all of these red-tape obstacles that have to be overcome, with the great amount of uncertainty, legal fees, costs, it raises the cost of housing. It raises the cost of rent.\u201d<\/p>\n Borrero described HB 399 as a \u201cnegotiated bill\u201d developed with input from the Florida League of Cities and Florida League of Counties. But the latter of those two organizations signaled opposition to the bill, noting changes Borrero added in a committee substitute he presented Wednesday.<\/p>\n If approved in its current form, HB 399 would:<\/p>\n \u2014 Replace provisions in certain county charters that require supermajorities for land use map amendments with ones requiring a simple majority, effectively making it easier to approve land use changes.<\/p>\n \u2014 Direct the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to study the impacts of removing urban development boundaries (UDB<\/a>) or similar boundaries \u201cin Miami-Dade County and other counties,\u201d including the effects on housing costs, growth control and environmental protection.<\/p>\n \u2014 Limit and standardize how local governments can review and charge for residential development approvals while restraining subjective denials based on \u201ccompatibility.\u201d In practice, this provision would ideally stop counties and cities from using vague or subjective reasons to block housing projects and cap how much they can charge developers.<\/p>\n \u2014 Require county and municipal application fees for development permits to be based on actual review costs, publicly posted, and not based on construction costs or project value.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mandate that comprehensive plans and land development regulations use objective, clearly defined compatibility factors.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bar local governments from denying residential rezoning or site plans on compatibility grounds if proposed mitigation measures address those issues, unless the denial includes detailed written findings.<\/p>\n AARP Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida and Highland Homes registered Wednesday as proponents of the bill, which House records show has nearly 60 lobbyist registrations<\/a>.<\/p>\n A handful of opponents, including Miami-Dade lobbyist Jess McCarty, Orange County Legislative Administrator Mark Jeffries and Florida for All, also appeared in opposition to the measure.<\/p>\n Courtney Mooney, Associate Director of the Florida Association of Counties, thanked Borrero for conferring with her group about the bill. She said her organization worked \u201cvery diligently\u201d with stakeholders on the initial version of the legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cBut currently, we are trying to understand the full effects the added new language \u2026 will have on our charter counties,\u201d she said. \u201cFor now, we do have to oppose it.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Owens, President of 1000 Friends of Florida, commended Borrero for removing some \u201ctroubling provisions\u201d from HB 399\u2019s originally filed version, but his group remains allergic to the bill\u2019s supermajority-to-majority vote change and UDB study portion.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UDB in Miami-Dade has served as an essential discipline for promoting urban infill development<\/a> and protecting the priceless natural resources of our Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east,\u201d he said. \u201cTaxpayers are investing billions of dollars to restore and protect those areas. The UDB is the foundation for environmentally sustainable development in the county. It should not be eroded by a study that begins (by) questioning its benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt cited those concerns in explaining why she was voting against HB 399, which she described as a \u201ctremendous overreach\u201d that \u201cscreams of \u2018Big Brother.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we talk about county charters, that has direct input from the same people that we \u2026 are here to represent,\u201d she said. \u201cTo me, (with this bill), we are saying, \u2018Oh yeah, you all voted on your county charter, but we don\u2019t care; we have the ability to preempt you, so we\u2019re going to do that.\u2019 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the UDB provision, Gantt noted that the Miami-Dade Commission has seen significant public opposition over the years to moving or encroaching the boundary. One high-profile instance occurred in 2022, when the Commission overrode<\/a> Mayor Daniella Levine Cava\u2019s veto of an ordinance moving the UDB.<\/p>\n A resident\u2019s legal challenge halted the project<\/a>, which appeared to die with an appellate court\u2019s ruling<\/a> last February. In December, the project returned<\/a> under a new name and with a smaller footprint, but still targeting land outside the UDB.<\/p>\n In the interim, several other project proposals<\/a> have been filed with the county seeking to build behind the boundary.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sunburn_FloridaPoliticsWebsite_728x905186-scaled-e1740018793631.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ads-Florida-Politics-Abbott_728x90.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SPECIAL-SESSION-2.9.23-HACKLEY-19-Large-640x427.jpg\")
<\/a>Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt offered the most vocal opposition to HB 399 from the dais during the bill\u2019s Jan. 28, 2026, stop before the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. Image via Florida Politics.<\/p>\n