Private firms could take the place of Jacksonville’s Planning Department in reviewing site plans for potential development under a proposal before City Council.
Ordinance 2025-0363, proposed by Council member Rory Diamond, would allow professionally licensed individuals in the private sector to review site plans. The bill would align Jacksonville’s ordinance code with Florida statute Section 553.791.
Diamond blamed Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration for slowing down the city’s permitting process, making development more expensive.
“This bill forces the Administration to follow state law and create a private path for permitting,” Diamond wrote in a text.
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 argues 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.
In a statement, a city official said that while the measure is “well intentioned, it has not been fully baked by the bill sponsor.”
The city said two flaws needed to be addressed within the bill.
Diamond’s bill has been assigned to the Rules Committee and Land Use and Zoning Committee.