County to advertise Unified Land Development Code changes for floating solar, agritourism, CAD files and resurfacing rules

Growth Management and Public Works presented several coordinated amendments to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) on April 22, and the Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to advertise the package for the first of two required public hearings.

Why it matters: The changes respond to state legislation, fill a code gap for new uses and tighten review standards for public‑works deliverables. The board directed staff to advertise the ordinance amendments so a formal public hearing and adoption can follow the required public‑notice process.

The primary elements staff described were:

• Floating solar ("floatovoltaics"): staff proposed a definition and standards to align the ULDC with a 2024 Florida statute that recognizes floating solar systems on water-treatment ponds, reclaimed or stormwater ponds and certain mine ponds. The proposed language applies the same buffer and landscaping standards used for land-based solar facilities and adds the statute’s list of eligible water bodies.

• Agritourism and accessory restaurants: staff presented standards to address substantial off‑site impacts such as light trespass, parking overflow into rights-of-way and peak-hour traffic from agritourism activities. The code package also would allow a limited-capacity restaurant accessory to an agritourism operation (current draft references a small-seat accessory classification in agricultural/rural business zoning).

• CAD submissions and digitization: Public Works asked the ULDC to require electronic submission of engineering CAD files for roadway and stormwater systems so the county can include these assets in a modern digital record system (CityWorks). Staff said the change is targeted at professional development submittals (engineering firms) and would not mandate CAD for single-family permit applicants.

• Resurfacing standard: the code will clarify resurfacing and widening requirements so that when widening is required on only one side of a roadway the resulting project is designed as a full-width resurfacing (to avoid longitudinal cracking and patching problems staff sees with piecemeal rebuilds).

Commissioner questions included why accessory restaurants are limited to a small number of seats in agricultural districts and whether CAD submission rules would impose burdens on homeowners. Staff responded that the 20-seat limit under discussion is an existing code threshold intended to keep restaurants as accessory uses (staff said they would research its origin) and confirmed the CAD requirement would apply to engineering consultants and development submittals rather than single‑family homeowners.

The board approved the request to advertise the amendments for the first of two required hearings with a unanimous vote.