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Tag: SB 180

On the Cusp: legislative action needed

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Fishing, Outdoors.

While we’re still on the cusp of some of the year’s most exciting fishing, let me encourage you to express your opinion to your local state representative, Will Robinson Jr., on a very important issue that is addressed in Suncoast Waterkeeper’s February newsletter: adopting new legislation that fixes the state law created in 2025 by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ adoption of Senate Bill 180 . 

The Suncoast Waterkeeper newsletter says, “For those familiar with the Save Our Wetlands campaign in Manatee County, Senate Bill 180 will carry heavy connotations. Last year, SB 180 is exactly what prevented Manatee County Commissioners from reverting wetlands buffer protections back to their previous state.

“Senate Bill 180, Section 2(b) states: ‘For one year after a hurricane makes landfall, an impacted local government may not propose or adopt: A more restrictive or burdensome amendment to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations.’ This language prevents counties (and cities) from taking action to protect wetlands and wetland buffers, among other things, which are crucial in maintaining coastal resiliency,” the newsletter says.

“Suncoast Waterkeeper has been sharing an action alert from 1000 Friends of Florida which aims to find a fix for last session’s SB 180. As of now, Senate Bill 840 offers the chance to restore limited, but essential local planning authority. But Senate Bill 840 cannot be passed without a companion in the House. Enter House Bill 217. 1000 Friends of Florida suggests this would be the best option to put on the agenda and amend language to match SB 840,” the Suncoast Waterkeeper newsletter says. 

“To be clear, this is the only pathway to restoring Manatee County wetland buffer protections any time soon. Many representatives haven’t prioritized fixing SB 180 because they don’t see or experience the damage it has done to local planning efforts to safeguard our communities against increasingly extreme weather conditions. Write to the chair and members of the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and share how SB 180 has impacted our life here on the Suncoast, respectfully request that they put HB 217 on the agenda and amend it to match SB 840,” the newsletter says.

“A special shout-out and appreciation to Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse for his unwavering leadership on this issue. If we want the House to act, they must hear from you!” the newsletter says in closing.

State Rep. Berny Jacques chairs the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. The phone number for his Tallahassee office is 850-717-5059 and his email address is berny.jacques@flhouse.gov. The phone number for Will Robinson’s Tallahassee office is 850-717-5071 and the number for his Bradenton office is 941-242-8430. Robinson’s email address is will.robinson@flhouse.gov.

There are so many important issues now, including the proposed cruise ship port and preserving the home rule rights that would allow reversing the county’s wetland setback reductions. It’s never been more important to stay informed and act to protect the waters we call home. Let’s make sure our actions today ensure an exciting fishing future for generations to come.

City officials appreciate county joining SB 180 lawsuit

City officials appreciate county joining SB 180 lawsuit

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The city is not joining the Senate Bill 180 lawsuit but city officials appreciate the Manatee County Commission’s recent decision to do so.

On Sept. 2, county commis­sioners voted 6-1 in favor of paying an initial $10,000 fee to join the lawsuit that will chal­lenge a new state law created earlier this year by the Florida Legislature and supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis with the adoption of Senate Bill 180.

Originally intended to ensure property owners’ ability to repair and rebuild their homes after a hurricane, the far-reaching legislation prohibits city and county governments from adopting and enforcing any new development regula­tions that are more restrictive or cumbersome than those in place on Aug. 1, 2024.

The local regulatory restric­tions imposed by the state law are scheduled to expire on Oct. 1, 2027, but would be extended in any jurisdiction located within 100 miles of a federally declared natural disaster area.

Fort Lauderdale-based at­torney Jamie Cole is leading the legal challenge. When contacted on Sept. 12, he said 20 Florida cities and counties have joined the lawsuit and no decision has been made yet as to where it will be filed.

As a follow up to their Aug. 26 discussion, Holmes Beach officials revisited the lawsuit discussion on Sept. 11.

“My position hasn’t changed,” City Attorney Erica Augello said. “Whatever the determina­tion on this is, it’s going to affect everybody in the state. It’s up to you if you want to join, but they have enough to move it forward. That’s the consensus in my office as well, with all the jurisdictions that we represent.”

Commissioner Dan Diggins said the only reason he’d vote to join the lawsuit would be to show the city’s support for the county commission’s decision.

Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he discussed the pending lawsuit with the city’s con­tracted lobbyist, Andrew Kalel. Schaefer said Kalel also believes an eventual court ruling would impact the city with or without joining the lawsuit and joining the lawsuit could impact the city’s relations with state leaders.

Commissioner Steve Oelfke said he discussed the lawsuit with District 3 County Com­missioner Tal Siddique and expressed the city’s apprecia­tion and support for the county commission’s decision. Oelfke said Siddique understands the city’s position on not joining the lawsuit.

Commissioner Carol Soustek hopes the lawsuit pressures the Florida Legislature into revising the new law during the 2026 legislative session.

“I support the county for doing this,” she added.

“I agree with everyone up here,” Mayor Judy Titsworth said. “I’m so proud of the county for deciding to join that lawsuit. And we are the county; they’re representing us in this lawsuit.”

Referencing the Florida Legislature’s past support for the previous county commission’s now-abandoned efforts to force the construction of a county-funded parking garage at Manatee Beach, Titsworth said, “We know what it feels like when we get trampled on by the state.”

Regarding the county commission’s decision, the mayor said, “I really support their efforts to try to protect home rule and I do feel they’re doing this to protect us.”

Titsworth said she’d support the city joining the lawsuit if the city commissioners wanted to. Augello said the city commission could revisit that decision later if the law firm handling the case needs more parties to join the lawsuit to help fund the legal challenge.

Manatee County joins SB 180 lawsuit

Manatee County joins SB 180 lawsuit

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

If you don’t know about Senate Bill 180 and its implications to anglers who fish Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Sound, let me explain. The bill prohibits counties and municipalities (including Manatee County and the three Anna Maria Island cities) from adopting new, more restrictive land use or zoning regulations, or imposing development moratoriums, within certain timeframes after a hurricane.

This applies even if the changes aren’t related to recovery from the storm, which is the original intent of the law. It becomes draconian because the new state law allows anyone to sue local governments if they violate this provision – creating a chilling effect on local planning and resilience efforts.

As mentioned, this law was originally conceived to protect homeowners af­fected by the twin hurricanes: Helene and Milton. The law extends the life of existing development permits, streamlines the permitting process for rebuilding, waives or reduces certain fees for like-kind reconstruction and allows temporary accommodations for displaced residents. It would also provide clarity and uniformity throughout the state so property owners and builders have foreseeable rules to rely on after disasters and it will help keep homeown­ers from getting bogged down in permit­ting or zoning delays during recovery.

Unfortunately, as the bill moved through the state legislature, ad­ditional land use restrictions placed on local governments were added. These changes prevent counties and cities from adopting new development regulations or moratoriums after a disaster (unless directly tied to recovery) and give “any person” the right to sue local governments that try to impose stricter restrictions.

The additions went well beyond the original disaster-recovery intent and shifted the law into the realm of limit­ing local control of overgrowth, zoning and environmental protections.

So how might that affect anglers? In the last election, Manatee County resi­dents made it clear that the wetland protections removed by the former commissioners were not popular. That was evidenced by the voters’ removal of the county commissioners seeking reelection who voted to remove the county’s setbacks requirements that were more restrictive than those allowed by state statutes.

When the current commission recently considered voting to reinstate the more restrictive wetland setback requirements, they were threatened by the implications of Senate Bill 180 – which State Sen. Jim Boyd and State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. both voted for earlier this year.

I’ve heard from a number of sources that Manatee County developer Pat Neal may have been an influential and key figure behind the more restrictive land use provisions included in SB 180. I contacted Neal to give him a chance to respond but he did not reply.

In response to this change, a coalition of local governments that includes Manatee County, Orange County and the cities of Alachua, Deltona, Stuart, Weston, Windermere, Naples, Delray Beach and others are joining in the lawsuit that will challenge the law created by SB 180.

On Sept. 2, county commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of joining the lawsuit, with Commissioner Mike Rahn voting no. I was at the meeting and numerous citizens showed up to support the commission in joining the suit. No one spoke in opposition to joining the suit.

Political maneuvers like this hit at the very heart of the democratic process and threaten to negate the votes of citizens working to protect the environment in their region by encouraging sustainable building practices. Unfortunately, it appears that greed is attempting to prevent citizens from enacting common sense rules and regulations at the expense of future generations.

I would encourage everyone who wants to protect the integrity of our local marine environment to write letters to elected officials demanding common sense laws.

Contact Senator Boyd by email at boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov, by letters sent to his Bradenton district office at 717 Manatee Ave. W., Suite 100, Bradenton, Fl. 34205, or by phone at 941-742-6445.

Contact Representative Robinson by email at will.robinson@flhouse.gov, by regular mail sent to his Bra­denton district office at 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Suite 305, Bradenton, Fl. 34205-7801 or by phone at 6941-242-8430.

I’ll continue to update readers on the progress of the lawsuit as it unfolds.