Fla. Stat. 163.3167
Scope of act
(1)
The several incorporated municipalities and counties shall have power and responsibility:To plan for their future development and growth.To adopt and amend comprehensive plans, or elements or portions thereof, to guide their future development and growth.To implement adopted or amended comprehensive plans by the adoption of appropriate land development regulations or elements thereof.To establish, support, and maintain administrative instruments and procedures to carry out the provisions and purposes of this act.The powers and authority set out in this act may be employed by municipalities and counties individually or jointly by mutual agreement in accord with this act and in such combinations as their common interests may dictate and require.
(a)
To plan for their future development and growth.(b)
To adopt and amend comprehensive plans, or elements or portions thereof, to guide their future development and growth.(c)
To implement adopted or amended comprehensive plans by the adoption of appropriate land development regulations or elements thereof.(d)
To establish, support, and maintain administrative instruments and procedures to carry out the provisions and purposes of this act.(2)
Each local government shall maintain a comprehensive plan of the type and in the manner set out in this part or prepare amendments to its existing comprehensive plan to conform it to the requirements of this part and in the manner set out in this part.(3)
A municipality established after the effective date of this act shall, within 1 year after incorporation, establish a local planning agency, pursuant to s. 163.3174, and prepare and adopt a comprehensive plan of the type and in the manner set out in this act within 3 years after the date of such incorporation. A county comprehensive plan is controlling until the municipality adopts a comprehensive plan in accordance with this act. A comprehensive plan for a newly incorporated municipality which becomes effective after January 1, 2016, and all land development regulations adopted to implement the comprehensive plan must incorporate each development order existing before the comprehensive plan’s effective date, may not impair the completion of a development in accordance with such existing development order, and must vest the density and intensity approved by such development order existing on the effective date of the comprehensive plan without limitation or modification.(4)
Any comprehensive plan, or element or portion thereof, adopted pursuant to this act, which but for its adoption after the deadlines established pursuant to previous versions of this act would have been valid, shall be valid.(5)
Nothing in this act shall limit or modify the rights of any person to complete any development that has been authorized as a development of regional impact pursuant to chapter 380 or who has been issued a final local development order and development has commenced and is continuing in good faith. Any landowner with a development order existing before the incorporation of a municipality may elect to abandon the development order and develop the vested density and intensity contained therein pursuant to the municipality’s comprehensive plan and land development regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (3) so long as the vested uses, density, and intensity are consistent with the municipality’s comprehensive plan and all existing obligations in the development order regarding concurrency remain.(6)
The Reedy Creek Improvement District shall exercise the authority of this part as it applies to municipalities, consistent with the legislative act under which it was established, for the total area under its jurisdiction.(7)
Nothing in this part shall supersede any provision of ss. 341.8201-341.842.(8)(a)
An initiative or referendum process in regard to any development order is prohibited.An initiative or referendum process in regard to any land development regulation is prohibited.An initiative or referendum process in regard to any local comprehensive plan amendment or map amendment is prohibited unless it is expressly authorized by specific language in a local government charter that was lawful and in effect on June 1, 2011. A general local government charter provision for an initiative or referendum process is not sufficient.A citizen-led county charter amendment that is not required to be approved by the board of county commissioners preempting any development order, land development regulation, comprehensive plan, or voluntary annexation is prohibited unless expressly authorized in a county charter that was lawful and in effect on January 1, 2024.It is the intent of the Legislature that initiative and referendum be prohibited in regard to any development order or land development regulation. It is the intent of the Legislature that initiative and referendum be prohibited in regard to any local comprehensive plan amendment or map amendment, except as specifically and narrowly allowed by paragraph (c). Therefore, the prohibition on initiative and referendum stated in paragraphs (a) and (c) is remedial in nature and applies retroactively to any initiative or referendum process commenced after June 1, 2011, and any such initiative or referendum process commenced or completed thereafter is deemed null and void and of no legal force and effect.(8)(a)
An initiative or referendum process in regard to any development order is prohibited.(b)
An initiative or referendum process in regard to any land development regulation is prohibited.(c)
An initiative or referendum process in regard to any local comprehensive plan amendment or map amendment is prohibited unless it is expressly authorized by specific language in a local government charter that was lawful and in effect on June 1, 2011. A general local government charter provision for an initiative or referendum process is not sufficient.(d)
A citizen-led county charter amendment that is not required to be approved by the board of county commissioners preempting any development order, land development regulation, comprehensive plan, or voluntary annexation is prohibited unless expressly authorized in a county charter that was lawful and in effect on January 1, 2024.(e)
It is the intent of the Legislature that initiative and referendum be prohibited in regard to any development order or land development regulation. It is the intent of the Legislature that initiative and referendum be prohibited in regard to any local comprehensive plan amendment or map amendment, except as specifically and narrowly allowed by paragraph (c). Therefore, the prohibition on initiative and referendum stated in paragraphs (a) and (c) is remedial in nature and applies retroactively to any initiative or referendum process commenced after June 1, 2011, and any such initiative or referendum process commenced or completed thereafter is deemed null and void and of no legal force and effect.(9)
Each local government shall address in its comprehensive plan, as enumerated in this chapter, the water supply sources necessary to meet and achieve the existing and projected water use demand for the established planning period, considering the applicable plan developed pursuant to s. 373.709.(10)(a)
If a local government grants a development order pursuant to its adopted land development regulations and the order is not the subject of a pending appeal and the timeframe for filing an appeal has expired, the development order may not be invalidated by a subsequent judicial determination that such land development regulations, or any portion thereof that is relevant to the development order, are invalid because of a deficiency in the approval standards.This subsection does not preclude or affect the timely institution of any other remedy available at law or equity, including a common law writ of certiorari proceeding pursuant to Rule 9.190, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, or an original proceeding pursuant to s. 163.3215, as applicable.(10)(a)
If a local government grants a development order pursuant to its adopted land development regulations and the order is not the subject of a pending appeal and the timeframe for filing an appeal has expired, the development order may not be invalidated by a subsequent judicial determination that such land development regulations, or any portion thereof that is relevant to the development order, are invalid because of a deficiency in the approval standards.(b)
This subsection does not preclude or affect the timely institution of any other remedy available at law or equity, including a common law writ of certiorari proceeding pursuant to Rule 9.190, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, or an original proceeding pursuant to s. 163.3215, as applicable.
Source:
Section 163.3167 — Scope of act, https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/0163.3167 (accessed Aug. 7, 2025).