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 across Florida are seeing long-planned growth protections overturned, voter-approved comprehensive plans nullified, and local officials sidelined just when smart, resilient planning matters most.

2026 Legislative Session Update: The Senate Acted. The House Did Not.

Scaling back SB 180 was our top legislative priority in 2026. Senate Bill 840, filed by the original sponsor of SB 180, Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-St. Petersburg), would have significantly reformed the law — narrowing its geographic reach, ending the statewide planning suspension in June 2026, and limiting future post-hurricane preemptions to rebuilding matters only.

SB 840 cleared every Senate committee with unanimous support and passed the full Senate 38–0. The House refused to take up the issue in any form. It was one of the most frustrating outcomes of the session. But what the moment made clear is the power of this movement. More than 22,000 emails were sent to legislators by 1000 Friends members and supporters. The House may not have listened, but those voices were heard, and we will keep pressing this issue until it’s resolved.

What’s Next

The 2026 session ended without a fix, but the fight isn’t over. We’ll be back at the Capitol in 2027, better prepared, with your help.

Help us keep the pressure on:

  • Share your story. If SB 180 is affecting your community — through a blocked ordinance, a “null and void” plan amendment, or a development that wouldn’t have moved forward before — [tell us here]. Real examples drive media coverage, legislative advocacy, and the legal record.
  • Stay connected. Sign up for our email updates to receive action alerts, webinar invitations, and news as the lawsuit and 2027 session approach.
  • Support the work. Donate to 1000 Friends to help sustain this fight.

In October 2025, 1000 Friends of Florida and Orange County resident Rachel Hildebrand filed a lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court, arguing that SB 180 is unconstitutional. Our case was joined with a parallel lawsuit from more than two dozen other local governments — a strong show of opposition to the law. Read our press release here. Read the full complaint here.

In February 2026, the judge ruled on the state’s motion to dismiss. Some claims were thrown out, but the case is far from over. Two of Rachel Hildebrand’s claims are moving forward, along with the local governments’ argument that SB 180 forces cities and counties to spend money the state never provided. The Legislature didn’t fix SB 180 this session. We’re hopeful the courts will.

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
Constitutionality of SB 180

In October 2025, 1000 Friends joined 61 organizations representing conservation groups, civic leaders, and local advocates sounding the alarm about the consequences of Senate Bill 180. We urged the Legislature to repeal the worst parts of this law during the 2026 session. Read the letter here.

Media Coverage

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