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1000 Friends urges fixes to SB 180 as session reaches midpoint
Summary
Advocates with 1000 Friends of Florida told attendees at a mid‑session webinar that Senate Bill 840 partially narrows the harmful land‑use provisions of SB 180 but does not fully restore local control; organizers urged members to keep pressure on legislators as deadlines loom.
At a webinar marking the midpoint of the 2026 legislative session, 1000 Friends of Florida urged continued action to blunt what speakers called sweeping preemptions in land‑use law enacted under Senate Bill 180 and to press for improvements being considered in Senate Bill 840.
"We are now at a halfway point in the 2026 regular session of the Florida legislature," Paul Owens, president of 1000 Friends of Florida, said in opening remarks, warning that delays in budget and bill drafting reduce time for negotiations and increase the risk that controversial provisions move without adequate review. "Whichever chamber is to blame, I won't be able to summarize the proposed budgets today," he added, noting that lawmakers were already planning extra days in Tallahassee.
Kimberly Dinkins, the organization's policy and planning director, described SB 840 — sponsored in the Senate as an attempt to limit the worst effects of SB 180 — as a mixed outcome. "For the forward‑looking provisions, this bill reduces the definition of impacted local governments from within 100 miles of a federal disaster zone to 50 miles," Dinkins said, and it narrows enforcement prohibitions to rules that would delay hurricane‑related repairs. She also noted the bill shortens retroactive prohibitions to June 2026 and removes broad standing for injunctive relief.
But Dinkins cautioned that the changes are partial. She and other panelists criticized several House bills they said would broaden preemptions or expand private‑rights‑of‑action that could undercut local land‑use authority. "The House seems to be playing an unfortunate game with our local controls," Dinkins said, adding that key House items had not been calendared for committee hearings and that time is running out to amend or stop harmful measures.
Panelists encouraged advocates to continue targeted outreach. "Every time there's been a push... you all have come through," Owens said, thanking members for tens of thousands of emails generated in recent months on the SB 180 issue. Panelists described procedural paths that could revive elements of SB 840 or similar language by inserting it into companion bills, but warned such moves require procedural alignment between chambers.
The webinar closed with a call to year‑round engagement: presenters urged local advocates to participate in local planning processes and to keep working with legislators over the summer to improve or rework bills ahead of future sessions.
The organization said attendees should continue sending questions through the Q&A and watch for updates on the group's website and follow‑up webinars.
