Gov. Charlie Crist has signed a growth management bill supported by business and development interests but opposed by environmentalists and local governments.
Crist said that the bill (SB 360) will help to stimulate Florida's sagging construction industry. It will make it easier to build new projects in urban areas and by extending the life of existing development permits for two years.
Environmentalists had urged a veto. They had argued that the new law will encourage sprawl because it too broadly defines urban areas where growth restrictions will be eased, saying that many areas include outlying and rural communities as well as cities.
The bill cripples key elements of the 1985 growth management law, opponents said.
For instance, under current law, the state must review large projects with effects felt across city and county lines.
The new bill would eliminate the review for cities and counties defined as Dense Urban Land Areas.
Eight counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, would be affected.
Another major change is how the bill treats "transportation concurrency," which is the requirement that adequate roads be in place to serve a development when it is built or soon after.
The bill exempts areas from transportation concurrency if they are in a county's urban service area, where sewer and water are available, and if the population exceeds 1,000 people a square mile.
Critics said the exemption will force county commissioners to approve development in areas where roads are clogged.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, said the bill will cut red tape that slows development.
Bennett said that multiple development reviews by government agencies discourage businesses from coming to Florida.
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