Council adopts ordinance aligning city code with state law that removes council public hearings on plats
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Summary
West Melbourne adopted Ordinance 2025‑28 to designate the city manager as the administrative approval authority for plats, conforming local code to SB 784, which removes the governing body's public‑hearing authority for plats; planning & zoning will remain an advisory public review step.
West Melbourne — City Council voted on Dec. 16 to adopt ordinance 2025‑28 on first reading, updating local code to reflect new state law (SB 784) that preempts governing‑body public hearings on plats and requires administrative approval authority.
City Attorney explained the statutory change: under the new law, cities must designate a staff approval authority for preliminary and final plats; the ordinance names the city manager as that authority and allows delegation to staff. The change means the planning and zoning board will retain a public advisory role, but final sign‑off on plats will be administrative rather than requiring a council hearing.
Councilmembers expressed concern about removing the political‑oversight step from elected officials and the potential for administrative approval to permit outcomes that a council might have rejected. The city attorney and staff said the ordinance was necessary to align local code with state law and that staff would still publish findings and must provide timely written notice if a submittal is incomplete or denied, as the statute requires a seven‑day acknowledgment and lists reasons for denial.
The council approved the ordinance on first reading (6–0). City staff said the change will reduce procedural duplication while preserving public input through the planning and zoning board.
