March 16-17, 2023

As a part of FAC’s Legislative Day program, the Institute for County Government (ICG) is offering an additional 2-day hands-on program on land use, planning and land conservation. Commissioners enrolled in the Certified County Commissioner Program (CCC) are required to take 30 hours of core classes which includes the “Growth Management and Land Use Decisions” course. To help meet this requirement, ICG will be offering this class in-person on Friday, March 17 in Leon County. To complement this class, ICG has created an additional field trip to Tall Timbers the day before the Growth Management workshop on Thursday, March 16.   Tall Timbers is one of the largest regional land trusts in the nation, permanently protecting over 145,000 acres of private land in the Red Hills and Albany regions. It is also an internationally recognized research station with over 60 years of experience studying fire-adapted ecosystems and advocating for prescribed fire use. Following a half-day day of field education, a reception will be held at the Tall Timbers Research Facility overlooking Lake Iamonia.

Course Description – Growth Management and Land Use Decisions

Local land use and zoning decisions are often the most important – if not the most controversial – actions county officials can make. With one of the most complex land use regulatory regimes in the country, Florida requires every county to adopt a Comprehensive Growth Management Plan and implementing land use regulations that guide existing and future development. While every Florida county has an adopted plan in place, the “process” includes a broad range of requirements that can overwhelm a new commissioner. Land use variances, special exceptions, conditional uses, concurrency, consistency, and quasi-judicial decisions are only a few of the terms that confront a new commissioner.  This course is designed to give commissioners an understanding of the history of land use planning in Florida and how we got where we are today. Participants will learn the realities of implementing comprehensive plans including how amendments, development approvals, and exceptions should be handled.

This course is open to all county commissioners and county staff. Participants who attend this field trip and workshop both days will receive 6 hours of elective credit (fieldtrip) and 6 hours of CCC/CGE core credit for the Friday workshop. Registration for this in-person, 2-day fieldtrip/ workshop is $125 and will include transportation to Tall Timbers, lunch and a reception on Thursday and course materials, breakfast and lunch on Friday.

Register Here.