Development director outlines growth and conservation; committee debates home‑rule charter language amid SB 180 uncertainty

Ryan Solstice, Development Services Director for the City of Edgewater, told the Charter Review Committee that the city is predominantly single‑family with about 90% owner‑occupied units and that recent public engagement favors slowing development and preserving natural landscapes. He said Deering Park and regional conservation plans account for thousands of acres and that roughly 30% of the city could be designated conservation or agricultural at buildout.

The presentation framed a key trade‑off: higher buildings reduce impervious surface and stormwater demand but raise scale and compatibility concerns in existing neighborhoods. "There's a significant relationship between density, height, and the amount of stormwater impervious that is needed," Solstice said, noting Edgewater's shallow groundwater and stringent stormwater requirements that often require raising land to meet storage volumes.

Committee members pressed whether the city could prohibit new development from starting finished floors at elevations above surrounding properties to limit 'step‑up' fill. Solstice said that could be implemented through the land development code but cautioned about unintended consequences: "If the existing area isn't able to have that type of stormwater system... are we completely taking away someone's right by not allowing fill?" he asked.

Patrick Fisher, a committee member, proposed drafting charter language he called "Home Rule Protection and Local Authority" that would affirm the city's right to adopt protective local standards on land use, stormwater management and growth management "to the fullest extent permitted by law." Fisher read sections that would reserve authority to the city and allow adoption of local standards more protective than state minimums "provided such regulations do not conflict with state law or the Florida Building Code."

City Attorney Rollins warned the committee that Florida’s Senate Bill 180 (SB 180) constrains local governments from adopting land‑development rules that are "more restrictive or burdensome" and that the statute’s scope is currently litigated. "Where that line is is very unclear," Rollins said, adding that the bill has prompted litigation across the state and is being revised this legislative session. He advised the committee to continue brainstorming but to wait until members are prepared to direct staff to draft specific language so the attorney could return the legal risks with precise wording.

Rollins suggested a less risky alternative: include an aspirational preamble in the charter that states community priorities and rely on ordinances or policy resolutions for substantive land‑use rules. "If you want something like that in the Charter, you certainly can, and it would look more like a preamble," he said. "If you don't do that, you still have Home Rule powers under the Florida Constitution, but there's value in stating what we want to be as a community."

The committee also discussed timing and pending state action. Rollins and members noted proposals to narrow SB 180, including provisions that could sunset broad restrictions on June 30 and limit temporary land‑use limitations tied to storm tracks; but he cautioned that the committee cannot rely on legislative outcomes and should balance drafting ambition with legal exposure.

Why it matters: committee members said Edgewater is on a development path that could double population to about 80,000 at full build‑out if entitled projects proceed, and they want the charter to protect neighborhoods, manage growth and preserve conservation lands. Members agreed to continue developing ideas and to return with specific proposal language so staff and the city attorney could assess legal risk and draft ordinance and ballot language where appropriate.