A Pinellas County Senator has proposed a cure for SB 180

When the Manatee County Legislative Delegation held a public meeting in late October, they got an earful from citizens regarding the negative impacts of SB 180, a broad emergency management bill. Part of the legislation’s intent was to prevent residents recovering from hurricane-related storm damage from being stymied by new local ordinances that required stricter regulations.

However, the bill was deliberately applied to both existing homes and new ones, the latter of which is patently ridiculous and appears to be in direct response to local communities' efforts to set equitable standards for new development. In Manatee County, a developer-influenced county commission eviscerated our wetland protections in 2023. The following year, despite the usual developer-funded campaign advantages enjoyed by such commissioners, voters ousted them in favor of candidates who promised smart growth policies, including restoring our previous wetland protections.

Only when they attempted to do so did they find that local governments were being stymied from imposing home-rule policies under SB 180. Senator Jim Boyd pleaded ignorance to the community’s desires on the matter and, given his general unresponsiveness to the will of his constituents, one could be tempted to believe him. However, Boyd assured attendees that he had been in contact with the bill's drafters, and all agreed that some "tweaks" were necessary. He and representatives Will Robinson and Bill Conerly assured the community that they understood the problems imposed by the legislation’s vague language.

A bill filed for the upcoming session would, for the most part, address the issues with SB 180 by clarifying that the prohibition on imposing more burdensome standards post-hurricane applies only to existing properties, not to new developments. In other words, Manatee County would be able to restore its wetland regulations while also addressing the problems caused by a policy that is allowing rampant development east of the urban services boundary. 

The bill was not filed by Boyd, Conerly, or Robinson, but by Senator Nick DiCeglie, a Republican whose district covers about half of Pinellas County. DiCeglie’s SB 840: Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters is straightforward legislation that would provide much of the relief Manatee County residents are demanding. 

Most of the bills filed in Florida’s annual 60-day legislative session do not even make it to a floor vote, let alone get signed into law. Considering how many downright rancid ideas are hatched over those two months, that is generally a good thing. But in this case, it is vital that SB 840 make it to the governor’s desk, where, given Ron DeSantis’ penchant for giving Big Development whatever it wants, it would still face uncertain chances of being signed into law. 

Given that Boyd is slated to become Senate President following the 2026 elections, he has sufficient influence to ensure his party passes the bill and then pressures the governor to sign it. Until then, it is critical that Manatee County voters make it clear to their representatives that, if they expect to win their upcoming races, this bill must become law. 

Email Jim Boyd here 

Email Bill Conerly here 

Email Will Robinson here 

Thank Nick DiCeglie here 

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch's 2015 novel, A Long Road Home, was recently released in its third edition. His other books can be found here. He can be reached at editor@thebradentontimes.com.