A Pay as You Grow Plan for Florida's Future

Joined by transportation officials, environmentalists, water managers, planners, school board officials and a host of community leaders at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Governor Jeb Bush on June 24, 2005, signed three bills that overhaul the state’s growth management laws for the first time in two decades. Establishing Florida’s new “pay-as-you-grow” plan, Senate Bills 360, 444 and 362 together ensure the roads, schools and water are available to meet the needs of communities in one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

“Florida is again demonstrating its vision and leadership by taking active steps to provide roads, schools and water for our growing communities,” said Governor Bush. “These needed reforms, coupled with a strong financial investment from the state, guarantees room on our roads, space in our classrooms and water for our natural environment, ensuring our economy continues to grow and our quality of life continues to improve.”

During the 2005 Legislative Session, Governor Bush ranked growth management reform as a top priority. Providing the foundation for improvement, Senate Bill 360 addresses the road, school and water needs of Florida’s growing communities:

• Roads - Closes the gap between new development and new transportation construction by requiring roads to be in place or under construction within three years of a local government’s approval of a building permit creating additional traffic.
• Schools - Ensures local governments and school boards jointly plan for schools by requiring that needed educational facilities are available or under construction within three years of local government’s approval of new development.
• Water - Creates a stronger link between local water supply planning and regional plans prepared by Florida’s five water management districts and ensures an adequate water supply is available before residents move into new developments.

"These comprehensive Growth Management reforms have the potential to both preserve and improve the quality of life for Floridians," said Senate President Tom Lee. "The legislation includes meaningful safeguards and strong financial incentives to promote smarter, more efficient community planning in Florida."

Florida’s strong economy has generated funds to help address the state’s future transportation needs along with the backlog of infrastructure. The new laws signed today provide $1.5 billion this year for transportation, water and school infrastructure, with an annual recurrence of $700 million thereafter.

“The bills Governor Bush is signing today will help ensure that, as our state continues to grow in the decades to come, we will preserve those unique qualities and characteristics that make Florida such an incredible place to live,” said Florida House Speaker Allan Bense. “I’m proud that we were able to not only make sure future development decisions are made responsibly, but also make a serious commitment toward bringing Florida’s infrastructure up to the level its citizens expect and deserve.”

After signing Senate Bill 360, Governor Bush put his seal of approval on Senate bills 444 and 362, which couple growth management reform with water resource protection and sustainability. Together, the bills create the Water Protection and Sustainability Program within the Department of Environmental Protection and the Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund, allocating $100 million annually and an additional $100 million this year to support water-related programs, including alternative water supply projects.

The comprehensive water bills provide the plan and funding for developing alternative water supplies such as desalinization, reuse and conservation, add new requirements for regional water supply plans to make them more useful to local governments and enhance consumptive use permitting. Encouraging regional approaches, the laws provide local water suppliers with permitting and financial incentives if they choose an alternative water supply project from the regional water supply plan.

“Funding alternative water supply development is now a shared responsibility between local water providers, users, the water management districts and the state,” said Governor Bush. “This comprehensive approach to water management encourages regional partnerships and sets aside a reliable supply of water for both the environment and society.”

With hundreds of new residents moving to Florida daily, the state’s population is projected to grow by 5 million during the next 17 years. The "pay-as-you-grow" system bases decisions about new development on the ability of Florida’s communities to provide adequate infrastructure. Under the plan, comprehensive plans now require a budget and timeline to address the backlog of infrastructure along with the increased demands of new development. Additionally, the law discourages urban sprawl by providing regulatory incentives to develop within urban service boundaries and urban infill and redevelopment areas.