Source: https://floridaldrs.com/latest-articles/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 23:51:21+00:00

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Latest Articles | Florida Land Development Regulations | For writers, administrators, users, and challengers of Florida land development regulations.
What is the “Subdivision of Land” Regulated by Florida LDRs?
Florida land development regulations (“LDRs”) are required to “regulate the subdivision of land” by §163.3202(2)(a) of the Florida Statutes. What does that mean?
In its simplest explanation, a subdivision of land is the division of a parcel into sub-parcels. So, in its simplest form, the regulations of the subdivision of land addressed in the LDRs would be regulations on any division of parcels. But do the LDRs have to address every parcel division?
It may help to have a little history. The Florida Statutes used to have extensive definitions of and requirements for subdividing and subdivisions, as part of the State zoning and subdivision enabling legislation. That changed in 1972 and further in 1985 when the State adopted the growth management acts, which shifted the focus from regulatory control through zoning codes and subdivision regulations to comprehensive planning and the implementing land development regulations (“LDRs”).
But the LDRs are still required by the Florida Statute to “regulate the subdivision of land.” There is amazingly little in the Florida Statutes to guide what that means, however, with even less State guidance now, with the deletion of the Chapter 9J-5 F.A.C. subdivision provisions in 2011. Consequently, there appears to be only one remaining definition directly addressing the subdivision or subdividing of land in the Florida Statutes,1 and that is under the platting requirements (§177.031(18), F.S.).
Looking specifically at that statutory definition of subdivision, it says a “subdivision” is “the division of land into three or more lots, parcels, tracts, tiers, blocks, sites, units, or any other division of land; and includes establishment of new streets and alleys, additions, and resubdivisions; and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the lands or area subdivided.” §177.031(18), F.S. That seems simple – a subdivision is the division of land into three or more divisions.
But, what is the division of land into two parcels? If that is not a subdivision, what is it when someone divides land into two parcels, waits a month or a year, and then divides each of those two parcels into two more parcels, making a total of four parcels from the original parcel? Is that a subdivision?
Additionally, the definition says “and includes establishment of new streets and alley, additions, and resubdivisions.” Does that mean a division of land must include at least one of those to be a subdivision? The terms “additions and resubdivisions” seems to suggest that the term subdivision includes additions to subdivisions and re-division of the subdivision. But, since divisions to create streets and alleys would seem to be a type of division of the land, the “establishment of new streets and alleys” wouldn’t seem to need to be addressed separately, unless the wording was meant to require the presence of streets and alleys before the division of land is considered a subdivision under this definition. In other states, that is exactly what it means; the establishment of streets language has been held to mean that subdivision controls don’t apply to divisions of land without streets (e.g. fronting on a public road).3 So, perhaps the division of land has to include streets to be considered a subdivision under the platting definition.
Section 380.04, F.S., defines “development,” in part, as “the dividing of land into three or more parcels.”4 This would indicate, therefore, that a subdivision approval is the authorization of the division of land into three or more parcels. This also matches part of the platting definition of subdivision.
Putting all this together, it appears that the statutes require that, at a minimum, LDRs regulate the division of land into three or more parcels.5 It may require more to plat a subdivision. But how those three parcels are determined to be created, what lands might be excepted from formal subdivision review, when and how the statutory platting requirements apply, and other issues related to those divisions appear to be largely left up to the local governments. See future articles on Platting and The Purpose of Subdivision Regulations for more on subdivision regulation issues.
1There are a few definitions that include the word subdivision, but the definitions use the word without actually defining what a subdivision is.
2 For example, a 1998 amendment to the chapter 177 definition of “subdivision” changed the definition from the phrase “the platting of land” to current phrase “the division of land.” That change arguably pulled the defined “subdivision” from only those associated with platting to include all divisions of land. But other provisions in the definition and chapter 177 seem to reunite the statutory subdivision with plats.
3Patricia E. Salkin, American Law of Zoning § 31:2 (5th ed. 2010).
4 This part of the definition was completely overlooked (or ignored) in a rather strange recent case that found that a plat did not constitute a development order. Graves v City of Pompano Beach,___ So. 3d ___, 36 Fla. L. Weekly D778, 2011 WL 1376617, (Fla. 4thDCA 2011). Although the substituted opinion, at 74 So. 3d 595, issued November 23, 2011, after rehearing, reversed and found that a plat does constitute a development order, based on the City’s ordinance and a liberal reading of the statutory definition of a development permit, it still did not recognize the subdivision/platting aspect of the definition of development.
5 Whether the local governments can go beyond the statute to regulate divisions of land into less than three parcels through the LDRs goes to the question of whether LDRs are limited to only regulating “development,” which is an issue for another article.
Why do we hold public hearings on land use matters? One reason is because the Florida Statutes say we have to in certain circumstances. Another reason, and probably the reason behind the state statute requirements, is for the decision-maker to get as much pertinent information as possible from whoever in the community has such information to provide, so as to make an informed decision. But what this information includes and what is to be done with it varies tremendously between the types of hearings.
Florida land use public hearings are of two types—quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial. “Quasi” mean “like;” so “quasi-legislative” means legislative like and “quasi-judicial” means judicial or court like. Most Florida hearings on land use applications are quasi-judicial in nature (hearings for comprehensive plan amendments and large-scale rezonings are two major exceptions). In understanding the implications of the hearing being quasi-judicial, however, the most important comparison is not how a quasi-judicial hearing is like a judicial hearing, but how it is different from a quasi-legislative hearing. It is the differences in the functions of the two types of hearings that are most significant in understanding their effect.
A legislative hearing is a formal process where information, ideas, and proposal on a policy issue or concept, generally of broad application or impact, are presented (where people “get their say”) for consideration by the legislative body. The legislative body may or may not consider what is presented (and may consider other sources or just decide based on what they think) in adopting or rejecting the proposed legislation.1 A quasi-legislative hearing is a hearing that is similar to that legislative hearing, but not the same. The differences may be in the level of formality or in the scope of what is being considered, but what does not change between legislative and quasi-legislative is that the consideration is of a policy or direction; the saying of what is the legislative or quasi-legislative body’s will on what is to be required, the making of policy, rule, or law.
If the public hearing is being held for a legislative or quasi-legislative purpose (e.g. to amend the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) or the comprehensive plan), who can provide the information, what they can provide, and how the decision-makers can consider the information is fairly broad. In the past, many land use decisions in Florida were considered this more discretionary legislative action. This was the case when zoning started in Florida, when the traditional zoning approaches were first created. This history has colored our codes and our hearings for many years, even up to the present.
CORE POINT: The function of a quasi-judicial land use hearing is to be judicial-like in gathering record evidence on and reaching a decision only on the application of the existing adopted regulations or policies to specific development applications, as opposed to the legislative-like creation of new laws or policies.4 Given this function, the purpose (and the only possible purpose) of a quasi-judicial land use hearing is to bring evidence to the decision-maker that allows the decision-maker to apply the existing adopted regulations/policies/requirements to a specific application (i.e. to determine whether the application for the requested action meets the existing requirements).
So what? So we now know that the function and purpose of a quasi-judicial hearing is to apply the adopted laws to a specific application. What difference does that make on the real effect of land use hearings being quasi-judicial?
Before there can be meaningful improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of quasi-judicial hearings in Florida, this fundamentally different function must be recognized and it must be the foundation of the entire review process.
D.R. Horton, Inc.–Jacksonville v. Peyton, 959 So.2d 390, 398-99 (Fla. 1st DCA 2007) citing Bd. of County Com’rs of Brevard County v. Snyder, 627 So.2d 469, 474 (Fla. 1993). Back to text.
See the article Limited or “anything goes” – Testimony evidence in land use quasi-judicial hearings for more on this issue. Back to text.
Other limits, which apply generally to government actions and regulations (due process, equal protection, consistency with other laws, laws that are lawful on their face and as applied, etc.), also come into play. Back to text.
Bd. of County Com’rs of Brevard County v. Snyder, 627 So.2d 469, 474 (Fla. 1993); Evergreen Tree Treasurers of Charlotte County, Inc. v. Charlotte County Bd. of County Com’rs, 810 So.2d 526, 532 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002); D.R. Horton, Inc.–Jacksonville v. Peyton, 959 So.2d 390, 398-99 (Fla. 1st DCA 2007). Back to text.
See the article We could play this game much better if we knew the rules. Back to text.
See the articles on Limited or “anything goes” – Testimony evidence in land use quasi-judicial hearings and What is Competent Substantial Evidence in Florida Land Use Hearings? for more. Back to text.

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 §177
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