An amended proposal to allow private firms to review site plans for Jacksonville developments advanced through City Council committees, with more changes possibly on the way.
The Rules Committee and Land Use and Zoning Committee unanimously approved Ordinance 2026-0363 on June 1 and June 2, respectively. Council member Rory Diamond, who introduce the legislation, told committee members he would continue to work on amendments to the bill before a full Council vote set for June 9.
Diamond’s ordinance would allow professionally licensed individuals in the private sector to review site plans for the city. The bill would align Jacksonville’s ordinance code with Florida statute Section 553.791.
Under the bill, site plans could not be reviewed by a private firm that owns the property involved or provided any professional services in developing the submitted plans. Firms would submit their findings to the Planning Department, which would have 10 days to identify deficiencies within the submission.
If the department does not notify the applicant within 10 days, the submission would be automatically approved.
In his legislation, Diamond argued that compared to the city’s Planning Department, private firms take on more risk in approving site plans.
“As opposed to the review by public entities, which are protected from lawsuits by sovereign immunity, private entities, in undertaking review of permits, expose their license, their professional reputation, their insurance coverage and their livelihood,” the legislation reads.
LUZ approved one amendment to the bill, which would require private reviewers to certify to the city, under the penalty of perjury, that they are familiar with all applicable state and local statutes as it relates to their work. That amendment took the place of one sought by the city Public Works department that would have required annual training and certification by the city for all private reviewers.
Diamond said additional amendments could be worked out with the department, including:
• Allowing the city extra time to review site plans for especially large projects. The minimum size of those projects has yet to be defined.
• Reviewers would have to submit any material to the city that would be required in an audit by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Allowing the city to conduct its own review to obtain fees for tree mitigation from developers. Diamond said he opposed the amendment, while Public Works Director Nina Sickler said she was in support. Supporters of the possible amendment say it guards against developers underestimating the tree mitigation fees, which unlike some others involved in the process is on a sliding scale based on how much mitigation is needed.
Speaking to LUZ, developers told committee members the bill would save them time and money, which could be passed down to buyers.
“These delays cost us $3,000, average, because every day is a missed opportunity to close for an affordable house,” said Jean Yoder, who works for Landon Homes. “They miss opportunities, we miss opportunities.”
At LUZ, committee members said they supported the ordinance as a way to make development occur more quickly and be more affordable.
“I think this is an important piece of legislation for our city and for our small business community,” committee member Raul Arias said. “I know while the administration has done tremendous steps to move forward, I think we still have a lot more work to do, and I think this actually helps in that effort.”