In Manatee County, for example, the law has prevented local officials from restoring wetland protections<\/a> previously removed at the urging of developers. When Manatee commissioners wanted to update the county\u2019s development boundary to prevent massive housing projects<\/a> from sprawling into agricultural areas, the state blocked them with SB 180. And the county\u2019s move to raise impact fees paid by developers was met with a lawsuit from influential builders who argue that the fees violate SB 180.<\/p>\n Other cities and counties around the state have encountered similar setbacks from SB 180.<\/p>\n However, opponents of the law are hopeful that home rule can be restored sooner than next year\u2019s legislative session \u2014 either through an ongoing court case or lawmaker action during a special session in Tallahassee later this year.<\/p>\n The conflict surrounding SB 180 caught the attention of some state lawmakers, including one of the original sponsors of the legislation, who said it was never intended to go so far.<\/p>\n State Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, defended the hurricane recovery aspects of SB 180, but acknowledged problems<\/a>, noting that it \u201ccast too wide a net,\u201d and resulted in the \u201cparalyzation\u201d of local governments around the state.<\/p>\n In response, DiCeglie introduced a new measure<\/a> to revise the most controversial aspects of SB 180 during the 2026 legislative session. His new bill, SB 840, passed the Senate unanimously.<\/p>\n But after receiving DiCeglie\u2019s bill, House leadership assigned it to a committee that was not scheduled to meet for the rest of the session, effectively killing it \u2014 a move that DiCeglie calls \u201cunfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis session, the Senate made it a top priority to fine tune Senate Bill 180 through Senate Bill 840 after hearing thoughtful feedback from fellow senators, local elected officials, and our constituents,\u201d DiCeglie said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald. \u201cWhile meaningful progress was made on the Senate side to address these concerns, it is unfortunate that the Florida House of Representatives did not take up Senate Bill 840 in committee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI made every effort to advance these improvements, including exploring opportunities to incorporate the language into other legislation, but ultimately those paths risked complicating or slowing other priorities,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cAs a result, some of the refinements identified by communities and stakeholders across Florida were not finalized this session.\u201d<\/p>\n The only attempt to address concerns about SB 180 in the House came from state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democratic lawmaker from Orlando. After it became clear that House leadership would not take up SB 840, Eskamani tried twice to introduce fixes to SB 180 into a different House bill. Both times, House leadership ruled Eskamani\u2019s amendments \u201cout of order\u201d and blocked a vote.<\/p>\n \u201cCities and counties across the state have raised serious concerns about how this law has created confusion, exposed communities to litigation and undermined responsible growth management,\u201d Eskamani said in a statement on her website. \u201cRather than allow those fixes to be debated, the House went into informal recess as I was closing on my amendment, and then ruled my amendment out of order.\u201d<\/p>\n House Republicans\u2019 choice not to revise SB 180 comes after months of public outcry from community members, local government officials and advocacy organizations asking for change.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of communities that are stuck not being able to implement these policies that they\u2019ve been working on for years,\u201d 1000 Friends of Florida Executive Director Kim Dinkins previously told the Bradenton Herald. \u201cIt\u2019s really harming the ability of local governments to do the work that they\u2019re authorized to do.\u201d<\/p>\n State representatives have stayed relatively quiet about the blowback.<\/p>\n Rep. Fiona MacFarland, R-Sarasota, who sponsored SB 180 in the House last year, chose not to introduce a counterpart to DiCeglie\u2019s fix bill this year. MacFarland did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The inaction has left some officials and residents to speculate that House lawmakers are unwilling to vote against the interests of influential developers who want SB 180 left unchanged.<\/p>\n \u201cSB 180 wasn\u2019t about hurricane relief. It was a giveaway to developers,\u201d Orange County Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad said in a social media post Monday. \u201cLocal control gutted. Communities sidelined. All by politicians who knew exactly who they were working for.\u201d<\/p>\n Dinkins said 1000 Friends of Florida members sent over 22,000 emails to lawmakers in support of revising SB 180.<\/p>\n \u201c(SB 840) cleared every committee in a unanimous vote in the Senate, but the House refused to take up the issue in any form,\u201d Dinkins said in a recent webinar recapping the legislative session. \u201cThe House\u2019s failure to listen not only to our members but to local governments and citizens throughout the state was probably the biggest let down of the session.\u201d<\/p>\n However, some House Republicans say they do want to see SB 180 revised.<\/p>\n State Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Bradenton, called it \u201cregrettable\u201d that a fix for SB 180 did not move forward. Conerly blamed an unproductive legislative session and said he hopes to continue talks about revising SB 180 next year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is regrettable that the legislature was unable to address the necessary revisions to SB 180,\u201d Conerly said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald. \u201cAlthough extensive discussions and deliberations occurred regarding how to best refine the statute \u2014specifically to provide local governments with clearer guidance on how the law should apply \u2014 unfortunately, the tensions between the legislature and the governor allowed many good bills to die in the processes. I remain committed to collaborating with local government officials to pursue these essential changes during the next legislative session, should the court not provide a definitive ruling in the interim.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, local governments will be left with fewer tools to regulate development and plan growth. Manatee County Commission Chairman Tal Siddique said that leaves local leaders in a tough spot, but they are looking for other ways to move their priorities forward.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hurting every day people,\u201d Siddique said. \u201cThey are taking away the ability of local governments and people in the community to make decisions for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Siddique also warned of election consequences for those who ignore the controversy surrounding SB 180.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Legislature owes us a fix, and they cannot rest on their laurels,\u201d Siddique said. \u201cThis is an election year, and many voters are going to remind them of that. There are people challenging everyone running for office, and I think that\u2019s a good thing. It reminds people that they are not invincible.\u201d<\/p>\n Siddique and other local leaders are calling on House leadership not to wait until next year to fix the bill. Some critics of SB 180 see a slim chance for lawmakers to revise the law during a special session later this year. The Florida Legislature must meet at least once more in 2026 to finalize the state budget after they failed to reach an agreement during regular session.<\/p>\n \u201cHouse leadership needs to find a solution,\u201d Siddique said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a chance that parts of SB 180 could be struck down in court.<\/p>\n A pair of lawsuits that assert SB 180 violates Florida\u2019s constitution and is overly vague are still playing out in the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida.<\/p>\n The plaintiffs include a roster of cities and counties<\/a> affected by SB 180, as well as 1000 Friends of Florida and Orange County resident Rachel Hildebrand.<\/p>\n Defending SB 180 are several state agencies \u2014 as well as developers, who successfully petitioned the court to intervene in the lawsuits as co-defendants.<\/p>\n So far, Judge Angela C. Dempsey has made several rulings in favor of state agencies and developers, including dismissing a majority of the plaintiffs\u2019 claims against SB 180. Dempsey also declined to grant an injunction request that would have frozen the law until the case is decided.<\/p>\n The case brought by Florida cities and counties now rests on the claim that SB 180 created an unfunded mandate.<\/p>\n In the other case, Dempsey dismissed 1000 Friends of Florida\u2019s complaints, but allowed two of Hildebrand\u2019s claims to proceed: one that SB 180 should be voided due to vagueness and another that it is \u201carbitrary and capricious.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan Ballogg<\/a><\/p>\n Bradenton Herald<\/p>\n Ryan Ballogg is a local news and environment reporter and features writer at the Bradenton Herald. His work has received awards from the Florida Society of News Editors and the Florida Press Club. Ryan is a Florida native and graduate of USF St. Petersburg. A controversial Florida law that gives developers broad veto power over local officials and residents remains in effect after state lawmakers failed to amend it in the 2026 legislative session. Critics of the law say legislators could still revise it this year during special session. Pictured, a Publix parking lot is under construction as part of a new development in Manatee County on March 16, 2026. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com Florida Senate\u2019s attempt to fix SB 180 fails<\/p>\n
A controversial Florida law that gives developers broad veto power over local officials and residents remains in effect after state lawmakers failed to amend it in the 2026 legislative session. Critics of the law say legislators could still revise it this year during special session. Pictured, a new housing development is under construction in Manatee County on March 16, 2026. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com House Republicans quiet or deflect blame on failed SB 180 fix<\/p>\n
SB 180 intended to help Florida residents recover faster from storms, but critics say it went too far in stripping local control over development. A home in Anna Maria Island\u2019s Bradenton Beach after Hurricane Milton on Oct. 11, 2024. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com <\/p>\n
A controversial Florida law that gives developers and state agencies broad veto power over local officials and residents remains in effect after state lawmakers failed to amend it in the 2026 legislative session. A pair of court cases against the law are ongoing in the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida. Pictured, a Publix parking lot is under construction as part of a new development in Manatee County on March 16, 2026. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com SB 180 critics say fight isn\u2019t over to restore home rule<\/p>\n
Many Florida residents feel that rapid development is overwhelming infrastructure and threatening quality of life and the environment. But developers and state agencies are using a law known as SB 180 to block local attempts to slow down and more thoughtfully plan growth. Pictured are new homes in Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County on Nov. 3, 2025. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com Will lawsuits stop SB 180?<\/p>\n
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