- November 7, 2025
Palm Coast will not be joining 25 other municipalities in a lawsuit against a recent state law – for now.
Senate Bill 180 is a law that was passed last spring that restricts cities’ and counties’ abilities to pass land-use regulations that are “restrictive or burdensome” until 2027 following a natural disaster in the area. The law has been seen by many at the local level as a deterioration of home rule.
“We can’t continue to allow for our home-rule rights to be eroded by the legislature,” Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris said at the Oct. 28 council meeting.
The Palm Coast City Council had asked City Attorney Marcus Duffy to look into what it would mean to join in a lawsuit against the bill. Norris said at the Oct. 28 meeting that, in a one-on-one discussion with Duffy, Duffy was of the opinion the city should “entertain” the lawsuit.
“I would look for some consensus from the council to move forward with Mr. Duffy's recommendation of contacting that firm and being part of that lawsuit,” Norris said.
Duffy said it would cost the city $10,000 to join the lawsuit as a retainer fee. If the lawsuit were to lose and go to appeal, he said, it would be another $5,000 for each following appeal, all the way up to the Supreme Court.
“We are a prime example of when development has been too much for a community,” Norris said.
Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri didn’t disagree with the mayor about S.B. 180 but suggested instead the city wait until after the upcoming legislative session to make a decision. She said she recently attended a Florida League of Cities event where S.B. 180 was discussed at length.
“I can tell you that there are a ton of lobbyists right now for the League of Cities that are really, really pushing to have S.B. 180, and also Live Local, amended,” she said.
She suggested the city give lobbyists and legislators time to review and amend the law at the upcoming legislative session. The session is occurring earlier this year, too, she said, because of the upcoming midterm elections. The city will have an idea of what the proposed legislations are by March.
The lobbyists, she said, are “very confident” at least three aspects of the law will change: the geographic scope of 100 miles surrounding a disaster area, the two-year limitation and the “unduly burdensome language” that is “vague and ambiguous.”
“I think we save the taxpayer dollars, we keep our name out of it for now, and we just wait,” she said. “There’s been a ton of outcry on this thing – there will be changes to it.”
And if there are not, Pontieri said she would be on board: “I will say let’s take it to the helm.” But she said the “political capital” was something for the council needed to think about, especially if they have an idea of what is coming down the pipeline.
But that did not mean she didn’t agree something needed to be done about S.B. 180.
“Every single politician in Tallahassee signed S.B. 180. It’s a disgrace,” she said. “It’s an absolute disgrace, but they did it.”
Pontieri said the council has to consider the help Palm Coast may need from certain representatives in the future before joining a lawsuit that attacks those representatives.
Councilman Charles Gamabro said the cost was his main concern. Nothing stops them, he said, from having their own lobbyists join others against S.B. 180, either.
The council agreed to hold off on joining the lawsuit until after the upcoming legislative session. Norris said that he was okay with holding off on joining the lawsuit for now as well. But, he warned, the city needs to be prepared to stand up for the taxpayers.
“We can’t allow this to continue,” he said. “It’s not going to get any better.”
