- April 22, 2026
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday night allowing single-family homes to be built on some property zoned for agriculture.
The measure (SB 686) allows agricultural land bordered by development to be classified as an “agricultural enclave” and developed to the same density as adjacent parcels.
Bill sponsors claimed the measure is about “property rights,” while critics argued the changes weaken Florida’s growth-management framework.
“Someone that owns a piece of property should be able to come and certainly enjoy the same benefit of a decision made by a governmental body that was made for his neighbors,” Ocala Republican Sen. Stan McClain said when the bill was before his Community Affairs Committee on Jan. 20.
The Senate voted 34-2 in support of the proposal on Feb. 26. The House voted 90-20 on March 11.
Opponents of the bill said it undercuts local governments from designing their own communities and managing their growth.
“It's really important for us to work in partnership with local governments when it comes to their comprehensive plans and land use for responsible growth,” Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said March 11 during the House floor debate.
The bill outlines such enclaves as pockets of agricultural land mostly surrounded by development.
Friends of the Everglades classified the measure as “pro-sprawl,” limiting public review of the development approval process.
1000 Friends of Florida claimed it would allow “development to leapfrog into rural areas and override locally adopted comprehensive plans, even where communities have planned for agriculture or conservation.”
A staff analysis of the bill notes that developments submitted for “enclave” land “must be treated as a conforming use, notwithstanding the local government’s comprehensive plan, future land use designation, or zoning.”
