Larger Florida counties and cities must offer early development reviews

Covered counties and cities must offer guidance and check eligible development plans before applicants seek final approval. The program requirement covers counties with at least 75,000 residents and cities with at least 10,000 residents. Eligible projects need staff approval, not board approval, and cannot materially increase development impacts. Building permits are outside this program. Similar programs that existed on or before July 1, 2026, do not have to change. After a missed 45-day decision deadline, the applicant must give written notice. Ten days without a response then results in approval without conditions. Automatic approval does not excuse compliance with other federal, state, and local laws. Programs must be in place by January 1, 2027. Officials have five business days to flag missing information; otherwise, the application counts as complete. Applicants have 30 days to fix deficiencies. The decision clock starts when a complete application is submitted.

Covered local governments must keep a list of qualified professionals and use it to help with development reviews when applicants request it in writing. This covers counties with at least 75,000 residents, except those under the special state planning rules referenced in the law, and cities with at least 10,000 residents. The list must contain at least four qualified professionals or two qualified firms. Hired reviewers cannot have conflicts of interest. If the list is missing or not maintained, applicants can choose a qualified reviewer without a conflict of interest and must pay that reviewer's fees. Protected historic property is excluded. For applications covering several properties, only the protected portion is excluded. Reviewer lists must be established by January 1, 2027.

Local officials must accept suitable financial guarantees for infrastructure work when approving maps that divide land into lots. These rules apply when local officials approve subdivision maps or revised maps and require a financial guarantee for infrastructure work. Accepted forms include bonds, bank guarantees, and agreements that hold money for the work. The amount, form, and issuer must meet state requirements and reasonable local standards applied equally. Local governments cannot impose extra approval steps that conflict with the state rules or use guarantee reviews to unreasonably delay approval. The law took effect July 1, 2026. Officials must give written notice of problems with a guarantee within 10 business days.

Builders can choose a qualified professional to support early building permits if their covered local government misses its program deadline. The program covers counties with at least 75,000 residents and cities with at least 10,000 residents and 25 contiguous acres designated for agriculture or housing. Counties under the law's special state planning rules are excluded. The option supports permits for up to 75 percent of planned homes before the final subdivision map is recorded, including separate development phases. The reviewer must work within their professional qualifications and have no conflict of interest. Officials can still check building and fire safety requirements and approve or deny permits. Neutral screening rules cannot materially block the reviewer option. The option starts when the applicable program deadline is missed and lasts until the government has a compliant program. Later compliance cannot reduce permits already available under this option.

Local governments cannot require most subdivision infrastructure to be finished before issuing building permits through the covered early-permit process. These rules cover permits for unoccupied homes in eligible residential subdivisions and planned communities before final subdivision maps are recorded. Other requirements of the early-permit process still apply. Applicants must show that approved preliminary maps and design plans were shared with the relevant utilities. Minimum emergency access required by the Florida Fire Prevention Code must be built. Required infrastructure must still be completed before homes can be occupied. A bond guaranteeing unfinished work is required for up to 130 percent of necessary improvements, unless the local government waives it. Master planned communities need bonds for each phase. Officials cannot add environmental conditions unless an applicable law, plan, recorded agreement, or board decision requires them. The law took effect July 1, 2026. These limits apply when building permits are issued, before permission to occupy the homes.