Hillsborough County cannot tighten its growth and development rules until at least 2027 after the Florida House killed a bipartisan fix during the 2026 legislative session.

For unincorporated South Shore communities like Apollo Beach and Ruskin, governed by the Hillsborough County Commission, state hurricane-recovery law blocks the county from adopting stricter growth-management policies. Hillsborough received $709.3 million in federal disaster recovery funds from HUD on Jan. 21, 2025, for damage from Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton.

Senate Bill 180 restrictions

Senate Bill 180, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2025, bars counties and cities near a hurricane's path from adopting land-use regulations deemed "more restrictive or burdensome" for one year after a storm. The law also sped up permitting, created debris management plans and added contractor accountability measures.

The problem, according to the bill's own sponsor: it cast too wide a net.

Because Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton all struck Florida during the 2024 season, the 100-mile radius in SB 180 placed nearly the entire state under post-storm restrictions, including all of Hillsborough County. Crews collected more than 2.9 million cubic tons of debris after Helene, a Category 4 storm that hit Sept. 26, 2024. Milton, a Category 3 storm, followed 14 days later on Oct. 10, 2024.

Legislative fix fails in the House

Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, who authored SB 180, introduced SB 840 in the 2026 session to narrow the law's reach. The fix would have cut the geographic trigger from 100 miles to 50 miles, shortened the restriction period for the 2024 storms to expire June 30, 2026, and carved out exceptions for local stormwater, flooding, drinking water and sewer policies.

While the Senate passed SB 840 unanimously, the bill died in the House after leadership assigned it to the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, a panel not scheduled to meet for the rest of the session, theBradenton Heraldreported. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, twice tried to attach SB 840's language to other House bills, but House leadership ruled both amendments out of order.

"It is unfortunate that the Florida House of Representatives did not take up Senate Bill 840 in Committee," DiCeglie said in a statement to Florida Politics after the session ended in March.

Rep. Fiona MacFarland, R-Sarasota, who sponsored SB 180 in the House in 2025, chose not to introduce a companion bill for SB 840 and did not respond to requests for comment.

Without a fix, SB 180 remains in full effect, retroactively nullifying some local development regulations already on the books and renewing restrictions for one year whenever a new hurricane hits. Legislative analyses have raised concerns that SB 180 "may extend beyond post-hurricane reconstruction and restrict local land use decisions."

Two lawsuits challenging SB 180 are pending in the Second Judicial Circuit. A Leon County judge allowed two claims to proceed, including one arguing the law is unconstitutionally vague.

Critics see one remaining path this year: adding SB 180 revisions to the agenda when the Legislature returns for a special session to finalize the state budget. No date for that session has been announced.