Seminole commissioners press Tallahassee for fixes after review of Senate Bill 180 and proposed land‑use code changes

The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners heard a work session update on Senate Bill 180 and a parallel set of proposed amendments to the county's Land Development Code on Sept. 9, 2025, and directed the county manager and county attorney's office to draft a collaborative letter to state legislative leaders expressing the board's concerns.

The update split into two parts: emergency management measures and land‑use restrictions. "The emergency management side can really be distilled down to four subareas — shelters, contracts with service providers during an emergency declaration period, state guidance and continuing training requirements, and information to the public," said Robin McHugh, Assistant County Attorney, summarizing the bill's emergency provisions.

Why this matters: SB 180 creates new statewide requirements that affect how counties run shelters, amend vendor contracts for storm debris and training, and publish preparedness information. It also limits local authority to adopt certain land‑use changes for a specified period after hurricanes — a restriction commissioners said could curtail local responses to flood and safety problems that emerge after storms.

On emergency management, McHugh and staff said the bill explicitly allows caregivers to accompany people in special‑needs shelters and directs the Florida Division of Emergency Management to submit a…