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Planning commission asks staff to craft tiered public-comment limits after members debate long hearings
Summary
Commissioners directed staff to draft a tiered public-comment policy that shortens individual time allotments when many speakers sign up, while adding ways to capture written or non-speaking participation. The directive passed 8–1.
At its July 13, 2026 meeting, the Hillsborough County City County Planning Commission directed staff to prepare a formal, tiered proposal for public-comment time limits after an extended discussion about late-night hearings and repeated testimony.
Commissioner Coogler moved and Commissioner Bowden seconded a directive asking staff to present options that would scale speaker time according to the number of sign-ups (for example, three minutes per speaker when few people sign up, two minutes or 90 seconds when many do). The motion also asked staff to add a simple sign-up checkbox to indicate whether signers wish to speak or only be recorded as "for" or "against" an item.
"I would recommend that we move forward with something that'll help in extreme situations," Commissioner Coogler said, arguing for a predictable, transparent rule the public can understand.
Other commissioners urged caution. Several said they favored preserving in-person public comment and that simple announcements from the chair about redundancy can reduce repetition; others urged clearer online sign-up deadlines and better public communication so constituents know how to register their views without waiting in the room for hours.
The motion passed on roll-call 8–1; one commissioner voted no. Staff will return with draft bylaw language and several tiered alternatives for the commission to consider at a future meeting. Any final change would require amending commission rules of procedure and a future vote.
