Second lawsuit targets Florida land planning law

And a Republican sponsor of the measure says the law likely needs to be toned down.

A leading advocacy organization has filed the second lawsuit aimed at overturning a new state law which has blocked many local governments from enacting new planning requirements.

1000 Friends of Florida, which promotes what it calls smart growth, sued Oct. 8 in Leon County Circuit Civil court to stop provisions of SB 180, approved on the final day of the 2025 session.

The move comes even as a Republican sponsor of the measure told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida that he'll be seeking to tone down the law in the coming legislative session.

Portrayed by supporters as helping improve emergency response after hurricanes and floods, the law blocks local governments from adding anything considered “restrictive or burdensome” to their comprehensive plans or land development codes.

Late last month, 23 cities and two counties sued in Leon County, calling the law the “largest incursion into local home rule authority” in Florida’s modern history.

The counties suing are Manatee and Orange. The almost two-dozen cities include Deltona, Delray Beach, Destin, Alachua, Stuart, Naples, Palm Beach, Jupiter and Fort Lauderdale.

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