Council holds first reading of state-mandated ordinance on recovery residences after debate over local control

Jacksonville Beach held a first reading of an ordinance implementing Florida Senate Bill 954, which requires local governments to establish a procedure for requests for reasonable accommodations when land-use rules would otherwise prohibit certified recovery residences (commonly called sober homes).

City Attorney Meggitt told the council the legislature approved SB 954 and the city was on a short timeline to enact an ordinance that meets the law's requirements. He said the draft tracks the state's required elements and that planning staff and city legal worked with other local-government attorneys because of the compressed schedule.

Several council members raised questions. Council member Janssen focused on the statute's wording and argued that the bill's use of the word “or” could mean the county rather than each municipality must act; Janssen said he intended to vote no because the wording is pivotal. Meggitt and other council members said they were erring on the side of caution and that even without the state law, federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act obligations could require the city to provide reasonable accommodations; Meggitt cited a federal case, Jeffrey v. City of Boca Raton (2007), as relevant to such disputes.

Council member Wagner asked whether residents would retain meaningful avenues to raise concerns about group homes; Meggitt said the ordinance follows federal minima and that the city could not require more public hearings than federal law allows to grant an accommodation. Council asked staff to return with additional detail before the second reading.

On the first-reading vote, the ordinance passed (votes recorded in the hearing: Sutton yes, Wagner yes, Wouters no, Golding yes, Horn yes, Jansen no, Mayor Hoffman yes). The council scheduled the second reading for Jan. 20, 2026.