P&Z recommends sending comprehensive plan amendments to implement school interlocal agreement, add micro‑transit language

The Seminole County Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 3 voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners transmit proposed amendments to the county comprehensive plan intended to implement the 2021 school interlocal agreement and to add definitions and funding language for micro‑transit.

The amendments would revise the introduction, transportation, public‑school facilities, intergovernmental coordination and capital improvement elements to align the county plan with the school district’s five‑year capital improvement element (CIE) and to add a definition for “micro‑transit.” David German, senior planner for Seminole County Development Services, told the commission the updates include new definitions, updated level‑of‑service and facility standards, and adoption by reference of the school board’s five‑year CIE as published in the school district budget book.

Why it matters: the county must adopt the updated language by Oct. 9, 2025 to meet a schedule set by the interlocal agreement, and adopting the changes by Jan. 1, 2026 would make the new micro‑transit service, called Scout, eligible for funding from a 5‑cent fuel tax the Board of County Commissioners approved on Aug. 11, 2025.

German said the amendments are intended to create consistency between the county comprehensive plan and the interlocal agreement. Deputy County Attorney Naisa Borchert clarified the effective date of the interlocal agreement, saying the city of Winter Springs executed the agreement on "12/09/2024," which is when the agreement went into effect for purposes of the county's implementation schedule.

The commission heard no public comment on the item. A commissioner moved to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve transmittal of the proposed ordinance amending the Seminole County comprehensive plan; a second was recorded and the motion passed by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will transmit the amendments to the state for review and the Board of County Commissioners will consider the ordinance in a subsequent meeting. The record before the commission notes the county relied on the school district’s budget book to incorporate that district CIE by reference into the county CIE.