Deltona board recommends code update for home-based businesses to conform with Florida law

The Planning and Zoning Board on March 19 recommended that the City Commission approve Ordinance 06-2025 to amend Chapter 110, Article 8 (formerly "home occupations") and retitle it "home-based businesses" to conform with recent state law changes.

Staff summarized that state law (House Bill 403, cited in the presentation) preempts some local regulatory authority over home-based businesses. The draft ordinance retains protections for residential character while reflecting statutory constraints: a limit of two non-household employees working at the dwelling, allowance for remote employees who do not work in the home, parking governed by residential zoning standards, limitations on heavy-equipment storage consistent with statute, and requirements that the exterior maintain a residential appearance.

Board members asked how the city would enforce driveway and easement parking, whether lawn parking would be allowed, and how the city can keep commercial uses from disrupting neighborhoods. Staff said other code provisions, such as nuisance, litter, and noise rules, remain enforceable; staff also noted homeowners’ associations can impose separate restrictions. The board discussed practical enforcement, including whether existing code enforcement practices handle easement parking and parking on lawns.

After no public speakers and additional questions, the board moved and voted to recommend approval to the City Commission. Staff said the ordinance is intended both to align local regulations with state law and to preserve residential character within the limits permitted by statute.

"The intent of this ordinance...is certainly still to preserve the residential character of neighborhoods within the powers that we have," a staff speaker said during the presentation.