Citizen Portal
Sign In

Senate committee advances bill to require local governments to allow accessory dwelling units

Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development · January 14, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The Appropriations Committee reported favorably a committee substitute for SB 48, a bill that would require local governments prospectively to allow property owners to create accessory dwelling units (ADUs) while preserving local setback and permitting authority; an amendment removing reusable tenant-screening reports was adopted.

Senator Gates (sponsor) introduced Senate Bill 48, a housing measure that would require local governments to allow property owners to voluntarily establish accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property so long as the ADUs conform with local setback, construction and permitting requirements. "An ADU is a smaller independent fully functioning house located on the same property as a standalone home," the sponsor told the committee.

The sponsor's amendment removed reusable tenant-screening reports from the bill, citing concerns about unauthorized sharing and hacking of personal identifying data; the amendment was adopted by voice vote. Samantha Padgett, general counsel for the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, told the committee ADUs can help address worker housing shortages if they are preserved for long-term rental. "Housing for the team members that make our hotels and restaurants run is a very crucial issue," Padgett said, and she supported the bill's language that limits rentals to terms longer than one month to keep ADUs available for employees.

After no committee debate, the committee substitute for SB 48 was reported favorably. The committee conducted a roll call and the committee substitute was approved by the committee.