SB 218 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Land Use Regulations

SB 218 prohibits counties and municipalities in areas affected by Hurricanes Debby, Helene, or Milton (as designated in federal disaster declarations) from imposing construction moratoriums or stricter land use rules for properties damaged by those storms. It specifically blocks local governments from adopting more restrictive land development regulations, site plan approvals, or comprehensive plan amendments related to hurricane-damaged properties until October 1, 2027. The law applies retroactively to August 1, 2024, and allows affected residents or business owners to sue to halt violations, with potential recovery of legal fees. The bill expires June 30, 2028, and directly affects rebuilding efforts in designated disaster zones.

Issues: ✗ Environment ✓ Housing

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 218 Filed → S 218 c1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from a draft version to a Committee Substitute version, changing the title to reflect that it defines the term 'impacted local government' and providing applicability rules rather than amending an existing section. The most significant policy change is the addition of a new section stating that the act applies only to counties or municipalities designated as 'impacted local governments' starting July 1, 2026. The original text's specific prohibitions on moratoriums and restrictive regulations were removed in this version, replaced by a narrower scope of applicability.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from a broad amendment to an existing statute into a standalone definition of 'impacted local government' with a specific effective date of July 1, 2026.

SCOPE

The bill was converted from an amendment to an existing statute into a standalone act that defines 'impacted local government' and sets its own applicability rules.

ELIGIBILITY

A new provision was added stating the act applies only to counties or municipalities designated as 'impacted local governments' effective July 1, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

Detailed provisions prohibiting moratoriums, restrictive amendments, and outlining enforcement mechanisms and attorney fees were removed from the text.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from August 1, 2024 (retroactive) to July 1, 2026 (forward-looking).

Floor votes · Senate Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

37–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 40

Mar 5, 2026

D Democratic11

10 Yea 1

90% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS passed; YEAS 36 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/24/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Judiciary; YEAS 10 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 02/10/26, 12:00 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Jan 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Community Affairs; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Community Affairs, 01/27/26, 3:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Nov 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor