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Local Planning Agency recommends ordinance amendments to implement Senate Bill 954 reasonable-accommodation procedures
Summary
The City of Stuart Local Planning Agency voted unanimously to recommend Ordinance No. 2547-2026, which updates the land development code to implement statutory requirements from Senate Bill 954 and adds procedural clarifications on application handling, confidentiality, appeals, revocation, annual renewals and fee waivers for qualifying applicants.
The City of Stuart Local Planning Agency voted unanimously to recommend that the City Commission adopt Ordinance No. 2547-2026, a text amendment to Section 8.0707 of the City's land development code intended to comply with Senate Bill 954 and to clarify procedures for requests for reasonable accommodation by certified recovery residents.
Unidentified staff explaining the draft told the board that Senate Bill 954, effective last summer, requires local governments to adopt procedures for processing requests for reasonable accommodation for individuals in recovery who are considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act. Staff said the City already had a reasonable-accommodation policy but the proposed ordinance adds required statutory elements and cleans up missing legal citations.
Key changes in the draft ordinance, as presented to the Local Planning Agency, include: requiring both property address and parcel identification number on applications; date-stamping requests upon receipt; extending the final written determination period to 60 days to match the statute; adding an explicit appeal route including a hearing before the city's magistrate and potential appeal to Martin County Circuit Court; providing procedures for handling confidential medical information and public-records exemptions; adding grounds and procedures for revocation of an administrative accommodation (including false information or failure to maintain required certifications); requiring annual renewal of accommodations rather than indefinite approvals; and waiving application fees for qualifying applicants while not covering their attorney fees.
During public comment, resident Joseph Angiuli urged the board to ensure units provided under such accommodations have adequate waste-management and cleanliness measures, saying, “make sure that the units are kept clean because sometimes they will dirty up the units...Otherwise, disease will spread and infestations will start.” Staff responded that conditions similar to a development order can be included and that the administrative approval would include enforceable conditions.
A board member asked whether revocation could be tied to the state's certification process for recovery residences; staff pointed to proposed language that revocation grounds include expired or revoked certification or failure to maintain licensure under Chapter 397, Florida Statutes.
Board member Lance Vogel moved to approve the text amendments and forward the recommendation to the City Commission; the motion was seconded, the board conducted a required roll-call vote on the ordinance recommendation, and all called members answered in the affirmative. The Local Planning Agency's favorable recommendation will be forwarded to the City Commission, which must hold two public hearings for an ordinance.
Next steps: the City Commission will receive the LPA recommendation and schedule two readings and public hearings before final adoption.
