A House panel on Wednesday passed three bills that are intended to address a court ruling that threw out 2009 legislation that revamped the state’s growth management laws. SB 360 in 2009 removed a requirement that developers pay for new roads and schools in designated areas and it removed state oversight of large developments in […]
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Comments Off on New DCA secretary says he doesn’t have marching orders on agency’s future
Department of Community Affairs Secretary Billy Buzzett told reporters on Tuesday during his first day on the job that he had been given no specific orders by his boss, Gov. Rick Scott, as to the future of the agency. Buzzett attended a meeting of the Senate Community Affairs Committee but he did not address the […]
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Comments Off on Growth management legislation clears first committee
Three growth management bills that are intended to address a judge’s ruling last summer passed their first Senate committee stop on Tuesday. In August, Circuit Judge Charles Francis in Tallahassee ruled that the 2009 growth management overhaul in SB 360 was unconstitutional because they represented an unfunded mandate for cities and counties and because the […]
Monday, January 10, 2011
Comments Off on Groups back off merger criticism in growth recommendations
Environmentalists on Monday issued growth management recommendations to state leaders but stopped short of criticizing a proposal by Gov. Rick Scott’s transition team to merge state growth management and environmental protection agencies into a new “Department of Growth Leadership.” Scott’s transition team last month recommended creating the new agency by merging the Department of Community […]
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday evening announced that he was hiring Billy Buzzett, a former top executive at the St. Joe Company to take over the Department of Community Affairs. Buzzett will take the place of Tom Pelham, who criticized Scott’s statement that DCA is killing jobs. Pelham maintained that land-planning agency had approved plenty […]
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Comments Off on Expert: New Florida governor risks repeating past growth mistakes
A recommendation to Governor-elect Rick Scott that the state transportation, environmental and planning agencies be combined suggests a return to Florida’s past growth management mistakes, a University of Florida planning expert said Tuesday. Scott’s regulatory reform transition team suggested combining the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Community Affairs during the […]
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Comments Off on Agency withdraws proposed growth rule changes after veto override
The Florida Department of Community Affairs has withdrawn two controversial proposed rule changes because of the Legislature’s override of the governor’s veto of HB 1565. HB 1565 requires legislative approval for proposed regulations that could cost more than $200,000 a year for all businesses across the state. Supporters said the bill would prevent agencies from […]
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Comments Off on House panel approves growth rewrite to address court ruling