County staff briefs commissioners on 2026 growth‑management bills that will reshape local rules

Alachua County planning staff provided a detailed legislative update May 26 on bills from the 2026 Florida session that will require local code and comprehensive‑plan updates.

Key items flagged by Chris Dawson and Angeline Jacobs in Development Services included:

• SB 182 — Broad language that, as written, preempts many local land‑use regulations for private schools located in commercial or mixed‑use zoning districts in unincorporated areas; staff said this could exempt private schools from many local requirements except the Florida Building Code and Fire Prevention Code and that the county is discussing legal implications with its attorney’s office.

• HB 399 (and related HB 803 language) — Changes that would allow HUD‑standard manufactured homes in all zoning districts where single‑family homes are permitted, though local architectural standards could apply equally to all single‑family dwellings.

• HB 803 — Clarifies roles for private providers (third‑party plan reviewers and inspectors), limits or specifies when the county may re‑inspect, and includes glazing limitations that staff said will reduce some required building frontage glass coverage (from local thresholds around 50% down toward a 15% limit in statute).

• HB 927 — Streamlining local development‑review timelines (shorter completeness reviews and action windows), a qualified contractor registry and more rigid deadlines for administrative review.

• SB 686 and others — Agricultural enclave certification pathways and new review timelines that can effectively streamline certain large‑parcel developments.

• Data centers and HB 1093 (vertiports) — The legislature preserved local authority to adopt compatibility and land‑use rules for large electrical‑load data centers (50 MW threshold) and introduced guidance for vertiport infrastructure; staff said they will draft local land‑use compatibility regulations for data centers and will return to the commission in the coming months.

Commissioners asked staff to prioritize local code work on data‑center compatibility and to examine glazing and inspection changes for local implementation; staff indicated some bills take effect on July 1 or Jan. 1 and that code amendments will be phased back to the board as they are prepared.