Jacksonville Beach council pauses land development code vote, schedules workshop

Mayor Hoffman and the Jacksonville Beach City Council delayed the ordinance’s final push on a comprehensive rewrite of the city’s land development code on Feb. 3, 2025, after residents and several council members said they had not had adequate time to review the 317‑page draft.

The council voted to continue the first reading of Ordinance No. 2025-8220 to March 3, 2025, at 6 p.m. and directed staff to hold a public workshop on Feb. 20, staff said. Mayor Hoffman opened the discussion by describing the rewrite as a multi-year project and said, “we're at the end zone,” but that a workshop would give residents time to study the draft and raise detailed questions.

The land development code rewrite updates zoning and development rules the city says had not been comprehensively reviewed in decades. Heather Ireland, director of planning and development, summarized changes aimed at preserving neighborhood character, updating parking and landscaping rules, clarifying impervious surface and lot-coverage limits, and adding measures for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and incentives for downtown, among other items.…