Development
State Rep. Lauren Melo wants you to know she loves wild Florida. Growing up, the Naples Republican used to hunt quail and learned to drive a “three on the tree” gear shifter in the wide-open spaces. As she told the…
Now it all makes sense. As we and others have noted this legislative session, there’s been a huge onslaught of pro-”sprawl” bills, most of which invoke “affordable housing.” That is, if we limit local governments ability to regulate new housing…
You think you know what’s best for your community? Lawmakers in faraway Tallahassee disagree. Indeed, this year there are multiple bills in the state Legislature with a single goal: Taking power away from local communities. Some of them involve straight-up…
State campaign finance data for the fourth quarter of 2025 has dropped, and initially we were going to write about how much Big Sugar gave last year. And in fact, we WILL write about it, right here: According to the…
Florida Sen. Stan McClain comes off as an affable guy — the type of person you might like to get a beer with. But after seeing the legislation he’s filed ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session, you may want to…
Some people think we clean-water types are in it for the aesthetics. That water ought to be clean like Mother Nature made it, so it can support all sorts of wildlife and other living things. That’s part of it. But…
If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out the Tampa Bay Times blockbuster two-part series on how Florida’s water quality is getting worse almost across the board — in large part because Florida lets special interests (developers, Big…
Given the continued breakneck pace of growth in Florida, we highly doubt that rogue local government regulators are roaming Florida, coming down like a ton of unjust bricks on the head of poor, persecuted developers. But you might be tempted…
In Dania Beach, Broward County, a controversy has erupted over a company’s plan to build a warehouse on a 3+ acre piece of land that had been characterized by the county as a “Local Area of Particular Concern.” The site teems with…
Developers, Legislators want to shut you out – and shut you up
The Florida Legislature is now in session. What could possibly go wrong? In fact, the sheer number of bad bills filed this year is stunning. Many involve attempts to push more “sprawl” through the pipeline with less public oversight. There…