Background

In the final days of the 2025 session, Florida lawmakers quietly passed Senate Bill 180  — a bill described as hurricane relief but packed with sweeping restrictions on local planning. It freezes local governments’ ability to adopt stronger land-use and development rules for years, even if those rules have nothing to do with storm recovery. Communities are already seeing long-planned growth protections overturned. SB 180 strips local governments of their ability to protect residents, manage flooding, and guide growth — and it must be fixed in 2026.

*NEW: 1000 Friends sues to invalidate SB 180

October 7, 2025: 1000 Friends of Florida has filed a lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 180 (2025), a sweeping state law that freezes local comprehensive planning across Florida. The suit seeks to restore communities’ ability to plan responsibly for growth, infrastructure, and environmental protection. Read our press release here. Read the full complaint here. 

Learn More

We’re grateful to Florida land use attorney Richard Grosso for preparing an expert legal analysis of SB 180. His executive summary and full memorandum explain how the law undercuts local planning, puts existing protections at risk, and exposes communities to lawsuits.

Damaging Impacts of SB 180
Full Legal Analysis of SB 180
*NEW: Constitutionality of SB 180

September, 2025, 1000 Friends joined 50 organizations representing conservation groups, civic leaders, and local advocates sounding the alarm about the consequences of Senate Bill 180. We urge the Legislature to repeal the worst parts of this law during the 2026 session. Read the letter here.

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