Florida 2024 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1407 Analysis / Analysis

Filed 01/25/2024

                    This docum ent does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives. 
STORAGE NAME: h1407a.LFS 
DATE: 1/25/2024 
 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS 
 
BILL #: HB 1407    Marine Encroachment on Military Operations 
SPONSOR(S): Altman 
TIED BILLS:   IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 1720 
 
REFERENCE 	ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or 
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF 
1) Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special 
Districts Subcommittee 
16 Y, 0 N Mwakyanjala Darden 
2) Infrastructure Strategies Committee   
3) State Affairs Committee    
SUMMARY ANALYSIS 
The Community Planning Act provides counties and municipalities with the power to plan for future 
development by adopting comprehensive plans. Each county and municipality must maintain a comprehensive 
plan to guide future development. Comprehensive plan amendments must be reviewed either through the 
Expedited State Review Process or the State Coordinated Review Process. During the review process, the 
plan amendments are sent to a number of reviewing agencies, including the commanding officer of an affected 
military installation. 
 
Current law provides for findings relating to land use around military installations and provide that it is desirable 
for local governments to cooperate with military installations when developing land use concepts. Sixteen 
major military installations are identified, due to their mission and activities, as having a greater potential for 
experiencing compatibility and coordination issues than others. Local governments are required to transmit 
proposed comprehensive plan amendments, proposed land development regulations, and applications for 
development orders to the commanding officer of the relevant associated installation. 
 
The bill adds various annexes and a range to the list of major military installations that have a greater potential 
for experiencing compatibility and coordination issues with local government planning than others. These 
include the annexes across Boca Chica Key and Key West as well as the Fleming Bay/Patton Water Drop 
Zone training range used by the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School that are a part of Naval 
Air Station Key West. 
 
The bill is not expected to have a fiscal impact. 
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FULL ANALYSIS 
I.  SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS 
 
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES: 
Present Situation 
 
Comprehensive Plans 
 
The Community Planning Act
1
 provides counties and municipalities with the power to plan for future 
development by adopting comprehensive plans.
2
 Each county and municipality must maintain a 
comprehensive plan to guide future development.
3
 
 
All development, both public and private, and all development orders approved by local governments 
must be consistent with the local government’s comprehensive plan.
4
 A comprehensive plan is 
intended to provide for the future use of land, which contemplates a gradual and ordered growth, and 
establishes a long-range maximum limit on the possible intensity of land use. 
 
All development, both public and private, and all development orders approved by local governments 
must be consistent with the local government’s comprehensive plan.
5
 Among the many components of 
a comprehensive plan is a land use element designating proposed future general distribution, location, 
and extent of the uses of land.
 6
 Specified use designations include those for residential, commercial, 
industry, agriculture, recreation, conservation, education, and public facilities
 
 
 
The future land use plan and plan amendments must be based upon surveys, studies, and data 
regarding the area, as applicable, including the compatibility of uses on lands adjacent to or in close 
proximity to military installations.
7
 
 
In 2011, the Legislature bifurcated the process for approving comprehensive plan amendments.
8
 Plan 
amendments are now placed into either the “Expedited State Review Process” or the “State 
Coordinated Review Process.”
9
 The two processes operate in much the same way; however, the State 
Coordinated Review Process provides a longer review period and requires all agency comments to be 
coordinated by the Department of Commerce (Commerce), rather than communicated directly to the 
permitting local government by each individual reviewing agency.  
 
Under both processes, a proposed comprehensive plan or plan amendment must receive a public 
hearing by the local governing body before it may be transmitted to the state for review. First, the local 
planning board must hold a public hearing at which it makes a recommendation to the local governing 
body on adoption of the plan or plan amendment.
10
 Then the local governing body must hold a public 
hearing to consider transmittal of the proposed plan or plan amendment.
11
  
 
                                                
1
 Part II, ch. 163, F.S. 
2
 S. 163.3167(1), F.S. 
3
 S. 163.3167(2), F.S.  
4
 S. 163.3194(3), F.S 
5
 S. 163.3194(3), F.S 
6
 S. 163.3177(6)(a), F.S. 
7
 S. 163.3177(6)(a)2.f., F.S. 
8
 Ch. 2011-139, s. 17, Laws of Fla. 
9
 S. 163.3184(3) and (4), F.S. 
10
 . S. 163.3184(11), F.S. 
11
 S. 163.3184(3)-(4). F.S.  STORAGE NAME: h1407a.LFS 	PAGE: 3 
DATE: 1/25/2024 
  
If a majority of the local governing body members present at the hearing approve such transmittal, the 
plan or amendment must be transmitted within 10 working days to the following state and local 
governmental entities, known as “reviewing agencies”:   
 Commerce, designated as the “state land planning agency”;
12
 
 The appropriate regional planning council;  
 The appropriate water management district;  
 The Department of Environmental Protection; 
 The Department of State; 
 The Department of Transportation; 
 The Department of Education, if plan amendments relate to public schools; 
 The commanding officer of an affected military installation, if the plan amendments affects a 
military installation listed in s. 163.3175, F.S.; 
 The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Agriculture and 
Consumer Services, in the case of county plans and plan amendments; and 
 The county in which the municipality is located, in the case of municipal plans and plan 
amendments.
13
 
 
The reviewing agencies and certain other government entities may provide comments to the local 
government regarding a plan or plan amendment.
14
 State agencies may only comment on important 
state resources and facilities that will be adversely impacted by a plan amendment if it is adopted. 
Comments provided by state agencies must state with specificity how a plan amendment will adversely 
impact an important state resource or facility and must identify measures the local government may 
take to eliminate, reduce, or mitigate the adverse impacts.
15
 
 
Under the expedited process, these comments must be provided directly to the local government no 
later than 30 days after receipt of the plan amendment.
16
 Alternatively, the state coordinated review 
requires agencies to provide comments to Commerce.
17
 Commerce then has a total of 60 days from 
receipt to provide the local government with a report containing the state’s objections, 
recommendations, and comments.
18
 
 
After the local government receives the comments made by the reviewing agencies, whether directly 
from the agencies or through the report issued by Commerce, the local governing body must hold a 
second public hearing to approve or deny the plan or plan amendment.
19
 The second public hearing 
must be conducted within 180 days after the agency comments are received. Generally, if a local 
government fails to hold the second public hearing within 180 days after receipt of agency comments, 
the plan amendment is deemed withdrawn.
20
 
 
                                                
12
 S. 163.3164(44), F.S. 
13
 Ss. 163.3184(1)(c) and (3)(b)1., F.S. 
14
 S. 163.3184(3)(b)2. and (4)(c), F.S. Commerce has special requirements for providing comments on plans or plan amendments 
following the state coordinated review process. 
15
 Id. 
16
 S. 163.3184(3)(b)2. 
17
 S. 163.3184(4)(c)-(d), F.S.  
18
 S. 163.3184(4)(d), F.S.; See Dept. of Commerce, State Coordinated Review Amendment Process, 
http://www.floridajobs.org/docs/default-source/2015-community-development/community-planning/comp-
plan/statecoordinatedreviewprocessflowchart.pdf?sfvrsn=d6a766b0_2 (last visited Jan. 21, 2024).  
19
 S.163.3184(11), F.S. 
20
 S. 163.3184(3)(c)1. and (4)(e)1., F.S. This 180-day timeframe may be extended by agreement as long as notice is provided to 
Commerce and any affected person that provided comments on the plan amendment. Also, an exception exists for developments of 
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Exchange of Information between Local Governments and Military Installations 
 
Current law identifies the major military installations that, due to their mission and activities, have a 
greater potential for experiencing compatibility and coordination issues than others, and identifies the 
local governments proximate to these installations that are required to address compatibility of land 
development with military installations in their comprehensive plans.
21
  
 
There are 16 military installations that cooperate with local governments to encourage compatible land 
use, help prevent incompatible encroachment, and facilitate the continued presence of major military 
installations in Florida.
22
  
 
Each affected local government must transmit the following proposed comprehensive plan 
amendments, proposed land development regulations, and applications for development orders to the 
commanding officer of the relevant associated installation or installations: 
 Information relating to proposed changes to the local government’s comprehensive plan which, 
if approved, would affect the intensity, density, or use of the land adjacent to or in close 
proximity to the military installation; 
 Information relating to proposed changes to land development regulations which, if approved, 
would affect the intensity, density, or use of the land adjacent to or in close proximity to the 
military installation; and 
 At the request of the commanding officer, copies of applications for development orders 
requesting a variance or waiver from height or lighting restrictions or noise attenuation reduction 
requirements within areas defined in the local government’s comprehensive plan as being in a 
zone of influence of the military installation.
23
 
 
The commanding officer or his or her designee may provide advisory comments to the affected local 
government on the impact the proposed changes may have on the mission of the military installation.
24
 
Likewise, the affected local government must take into consideration any comments and accompanying 
data and analyses provided by the commanding officer as they relate to the strategic mission of the 
base, public safety, and the economic vitality associated with the base’s operations, while also 
respecting private property rights and not being unduly restrictive on those rights.
25
 Additionally, any 
comments regarding comprehensive plan amendments must be forwarded to the state land planning 
agency.
26
 To facilitate the exchange of information, a representative of a military installation acting on 
behalf of all military installations within that jurisdiction serves as a nonvoting member of the county’s or 
affected local government’s land planning or zoning board.
27
 
 
Effect of Proposed Changes 
 
The bill adds various annexes and a range to the list of major military installations that, due to their 
mission and activities, have a greater potential for experiencing compatibility and coordination issues 
with local government planning than others. Specifically, the bill adds the various annexes across Boca 
Chica Key and Key West as well as the Fleming Bay/Patton Water Drop Zone training range used by 
the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School associated with Naval Air Station Key West, 
which is currently on the list. 
 
The bill also makes conforming changes to reflect the addition of a range to the list of compatibility and 
coordination issues with local government planning.  
 
B. SECTION DIRECTORY: 
                                                
21
 S. 163.3175(2). F.S. 
22
 See s. 163.3175(2)(a)-(p), F.S., (listing affected military installations and their related communities).  
23
 S. 163.3175(4), F.S. 
24
 S. 163.3175(5), F.S.  
25
 S. 163.3175(6), F.S. 
26
 Id. 
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Section 1: Amends s. 163.3175, F.S., relating to legislative findings on compatibility of development 
 with military installations. 
 
Section 2: Provides an effective date of July 1, 2024. 
 
II.  FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT 
 
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT: 
 
1. Revenues: 
None. 
 
2. Expenditures: 
None. 
 
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: 
 
1. Revenues: 
None. 
 
2. Expenditures: 
None. 
 
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR: 
None. 
 
D. FISCAL COMMENTS: 
None. 
 
III.  COMMENTS 
 
A. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES: 
 
 1. Applicability of Municipality/County Mandates Provision: 
Not Applicable. This bill does not appear to directly affect county or municipal governments. 
 
 2. Other: 
None. 
 
B. RULE-MAKING AUTHORITY: 
This bill neither provides authority for nor requires rulemaking by executive branch agencies. 
 
C. DRAFTING ISSUES OR OTHER COMMENTS: 
None. 
 
IV.  AMENDMENTS/COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE CHANGES 
None.