Onditch North FLU amendment held pending legal contiguity determination and Orange County notice

Apopka’s DRC discussed a future land-use amendment for the Onditch North subdivision that would change a parcel from Orange County rural designation to the city’s residential very-low suburban designation. The annexation companion was previously presented to DRC; the FLU amendment cannot move to public hearings until legal questions about contiguity are resolved.

Applicant counsel Elisa Sowell (Hudson Bowen) told the committee she has provided a memorandum of law on contiguity to the city attorney (Cliff) and that she had asked Orange County to confirm whether the county objects; she said she did not anticipate problems. Community development staff said they were waiting on a determination from the city attorney and written confirmation from Orange County before advancing the ordinance to public hearings.

Why it matters: contiguity is a statutory requirement for annexation in Florida; the committee must ensure the annexation and companion FLU amendment satisfy state law before scheduling hearings.

Next steps: applicant and counsel will follow up with the city attorney and Orange County; DRC will not schedule public hearings until county confirmation and the city-attorney contiguity determination are on record.