Local bipartisan opposition forms against FL Sen. McClain’s SB1118

File Photo: Sen. Stan McClain speaks during the Marion County Legislative Delegation at the Klein Conference Center at the College of Cenral Florida in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.

In response to what some call an “attack” on home rule, local bipartisan opposition has formed against Senate Bill 1118 filed by State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Marion, and its identical House Bill 1209 filed by Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Pasco. The bills would wrest local control of development from cities and counties across the state and open up hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres to developers without review from local governments. If passed, the new laws would supersede any local overlay zones of protection, including Marion County’s revered Farmland Preservation Area.

The bill language only provides for protection of state-mandated protection areas and lists two: “The Wekiva Study Area, as described in s. 369.316; or 2. The Everglades Protection Area, as defined in s.169 373.4592(2).”

The bills propose no restrictions on minimum lot size and assume that maximum densities per any current land development code would be automatically put into effect. The city of Ocala and the Marion County Board of County Commissioners would lose their authority to restrict the number of units per acre in a housing project.

There was still no analysis associated with either bill as of March 12. McClain’s bill has been introduced however, and it has been forwarded to the Community Affairs committee, on which he sits. It’s scheduled on that committee’s agenda for March 17, 4:00 pm, in Room 37, of the Senate Building.

McClain’s office has not responded to repeated requests for additional context as of the date this article was published.

There has been a flurry of outrage for the proposal on social media.

Cynthia Moody wrote on Facebook, “Are they trying to completely ruin Ocala???”

James Tomlinson opined in the same post, “Home Rule until there’s more incentives to not have it, I guess? How convenient.”

Even former Marion County Commissioner David Moore wrote, “This is why we need to talk with our state legislators and let them know how we feel……. Gotta be involved in order to stop government overreach.”

Brigette Smith, chair for the Marion County Republican Executive Committee, shared what it published in opposition to the bill, including: “these bills seek to undercut this key principle of home rule and the will of the electorate.”

The MCRE statement said, “It is not clear what constituency is served by these overt draft policies to negate Comprehensive Plans and community input at the County level. Marion County is undergoing explosive growth and is now showing the “growing pains” of increased traffic/school overcrowding with projections of + $1B in future infrastructure costs and +$1B in school capital/maintenance expenditures. There is little need for an ‘accelerant’ bill to increase the speed and density of residential development that would remove all these aspects, and others, weaken ‘home rule’ and negate the public’s input of changes that affect the daily lives of Marion County/Florida citizens. We are all advocates for property rights, yet this allows a landowner to apply for ‘administrative approval’ of development ‘regardless of the future land use map designation of the parcel or any conflicting comprehensive plan goals, objectives or policies.’ Existing owners vested rights in farmland/rural neighborhoods need to be protected. Republicans believe in local government as what’s closest to the people!”

Diana Williams, chair of the Marion Democratic Executive Committee, said they reviewed the bill and recognize that “this legislation will significantly change the impact of Florida’s Land Use Plan and makes it easier to develop agricultural land through the ‘administrative approval’ without regard to local input.”

Williams recalled in an email to the “Gazette” memories from working for the Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council, which served five surrounding counties—Citrus, Marion, Levy, Sumter and Hernando. They worked on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan for this area and there were many, many meetings to gather grassroots input on future development ideas.

“At that time, we had a plan developed from input provided by folks living in the communities. Now it seems our legislators in Tallahassee are wrestling home rule for power and control over our communities,” she said.

Williams added, “We are the Horse Capital of the World, for now. Is the World Equestrian Center enough to keep our title when we’ve sold off all our farmland? Hoping our residents will express their discontent to our legislators and make them aware that we are not asking for their help to convert our farmland into another subdivision, we want to manage that locally. Are we finding common ‘ground’ on this issue?”