STOP Florida HB 299/SB354 -- "Blue Ribbon Developments? What fresh Developer Hell awaits Florida in 2026 legislature?

From Florida Association of Counties: ACTION ALERT: Bill Shifting Local Oversight to Automatic Approval Scheduled To Be Heard Thursday!       On Thursday, December 11th, at 9:30 AM, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee is scheduled to hear HB 299 by Representative Melo.     This bill requires administrative approval of 10,000+ acre “blue-ribbon” projects for properties that are owned by the same person or entities. It has the effect of stripping all necessary protections and review processes of an existing authorized program, “The Sector Plan Process,” and replacing it with one that ignores the local comprehensive plan and development review process.   The automatic approval under this bill strips Floridians and their local officials of any meaningful voice by mandating an automatic approval process that overrides comprehensive plans, eliminates public hearings, and shifts land-use authority from elected officials to large landowners.   Without any enforcement mechanisms for the bills’ requirements, communities cannot ensure compliance or protect long-term planning goals.   Florida law already allows large-scale planning through existing sector plans under s. 163.3245 F.S., for properties with 5,000 acres.   This bill creates an unnecessary new framework that adds confusion and inconsistency to the state’s growth-management system.  The bill that builds over home rule: big landowners win, local communities lose.     Please come to Tallahassee and testify or call committee members and ask them to vote no on HB 299.   The Senate companion, SB 354 by Senator McClain, has not yet been scheduled in its first committee.  House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee Members Chair Jacques, (850) 717-5059, Berny.Jacques@flhouse.gov   Vice Chair Griffitts Jr., (850) 717-5006, Griff.Griffitts@flhouse.gov  Representative Daley, (850) 717-5096, Dan.Daley@flhouse.gov  Representative Black, (850) 717-5015, Dean.Black@flhouse.gov  Representative Campbell, (850) 717-5099, Daryl.Campbell@flhouse.gov  Representative Chamberlin, (850) 717-5024, Ryan.Chamberlin@flhouse.gov  Representative Cobb, (850) 717-5026, Nan.Cobb@flhouse.gov  Representative Dunkley, (850) 717-5097, Lisa.Dunkley@flhouse.gov  Representative Gantt, (850) 717-5109, Ashley.Gantt@flhouse.gov  Representative Gerwig, (850) 717-5093, Anne.Gerwig@flhouse.gov  Representative Gossett-Seidman, (850)7175091, Peggy.GossettSeidman@flhouse.gov  Representative Harris, (850) 717-5044, Rita.Harris@flhouse.gov   Representative Hodgers, (850) 717-5032, Brian.Hodgers@flhouse.go  Representative Holcomb, (850) 717-5053, Jeff.Holcomb@flhouse.gov  Representative Johnson, (850) 717-5022, Chad.Johnson@flhouse.gov  Representative Kendall, (850) 717-5018, Kim.Kendall@flhouse.gov  Representative Michael, (850) 717-5016, Kiyan.Michael@flhouse.gov

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Lobbyist	Principal	Firm	Issues	Bills	Amendments
Lobbyist: Abello, Peter	Principal: Florida Association of Counties	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Anderson, George Oscar	Principal: Alliance for Commercial Real Estate	Firm: The Southern Group	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Anderson, George Oscar	Principal: G.L. Homes of Florida Corporation	Firm: The Southern Group	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Anderson, George Oscar	Principal: Metro Development Group, LLC	Firm: The Southern Group	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Anderson, George Oscar	Principal: Tavistock Development Company, LLC	Firm: The Southern Group	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Blanton, Travis W.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Johnson & Blanton	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Branch, Jeffrey	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Chapman, Charles TylerIV	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm: C4 Strategies, LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Cook, Thomas Casey	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Cruz, David	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Ferguson, Diana M.	Principal: Audubon of Florida	Firm: Rutledge Ecenia PA	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Harmon, Joseph PeterPhD	Principal: Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Hawken, Robert E.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Floridian Partners LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Hopkins, Kayla Adriana	Principal: Florida Chamber of Commerce	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Jeffries, Mark W.	Principal: Orange County Government	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Johnson, Carolyn	Principal: Florida Chamber of Commerce	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Johnson, Jon E.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Johnson & Blanton	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Johnson, Robert H. (Rob)	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: The Mayernick Group LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Killinger, Lori	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Lewis Longman & Walker PA	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Lyon, Martin (Chris)	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Lewis Longman & Walker PA	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Marchesani, Alessandro	Principal: Palm Beach County	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Mayernick, Frank P.Jr.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: The Mayernick Group LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Mayernick, Tracy Hogan	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: The Mayernick Group LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: McGhee, Sr., Darrick D.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Johnson & Blanton	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Mooney, Courtney Jo	Principal: Florida Association of Counties	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: O'Hara, Rebecca	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Payne, Allison	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Ramos, Joel Stewart	Principal: Chen Moore and Associates	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Rutledge, Andrew Phillip	Principal: Audubon of Florida	Firm: Rutledge Ecenia PA	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Singer, Matthew	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Steele, Brooke Evans	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: The Mayernick Group LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Turnbull, Heather L.	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Rubin, Turnbull & Associates	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Wagoner, Samuel (Sam)	Principal: Florida League of Cities, Inc	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Walker, Frank III	Principal: Florida Chamber of Commerce	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Willis, Jared	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: The Mayernick Group LLC	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Wilson, Mark	Principal: Florida Chamber of Commerce	Firm:	Issues:	Bills: HB 299	Amendments:
Lobbyist: Winn, Jason D.Esq	Principal: Big Lands Transect Collaborative LLC	Firm: Lewis Longman & Walker PA	Issues:	Bills: HB 299: [SB 354]	Amendments:

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Glossary of Legislative Terms

HB 299: Blue Ribbon Projects

GENERAL BILL by Melo

Blue Ribbon Projects; Requires that development project meet certain requirements to qualify as blue ribbon project; authorizes development of development area in phases; requires that blue ribbon project have blue ribbon plan; requires that project receive dollar-for-dollar credits from local government; specifies that project may be located on land with any future land use designation or zoning designation; prohibits required amendment of comprehensive plan or required rezoning for approval of project; authorizes landowner to apply to local government for approval of project; requires that project that meets certain requirements receive administrative approval; authorizes applicant to appeal denial of project application to Department of Commerce; authorizes person whose substantial interests are or may be affected by approval of project to file petition with Department of Commerce requesting administrative hearing.

Effective Date: 7/1/2026 
Last Action: 12/4/2025 House - Added to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee agenda
Bill Text: PDF

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Bill Text

VERSION	POSTED	FORMAT
H 299 Filed	11/3/2025 4:28 PM	PDF

Intergovernmental Affairs Committee meeting on this Pearl Harbor style sneak attack on Thursday, 12/11.