Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

The Florida Senate
                                 HOUSE MESSAGE SUMMARY
                  Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Community Affairs
                                                                                         [2023s01604.hms.ca]
                                            st
BILL:                   CS/CS/SB 1604, 1 Eng.
INTRODUCER:             Rules Committee; Community Affairs Committee; and Senator Ingoglia
SUBJECT:                Land Use and Development Regulations
DATE:                   May 3, 2023
 I.Amendments Contained in Message:
        House Amendment — 714203 (body with title)
II.Summary of Amendments Contained in Message:
        House Amendment — 714203 adds a new provision to the bill pertaining to electric substation
        approval processes. Under current law, the construction of new “distribution electrical
        substations” is a permitted use in all future land use categories and zoning districts, except for
        those designated for preservation, conservation, or historic preservation. Local governments may
        adopt reasonable land development regulations for new substations, addressing only setback,
        landscaping, buffering, screening, lighting, and other aesthetic compatibility-based standards.
        “Distribution electrical substation” is defined in current law as an electrical substation which
        takes electricity from the transmission grid and converts it to a lower voltage so it can be
        distributed to customers in the local area on the local distribution grid through one or more
        distribution lines less than 69 kilovolts in size.
        The amendment modifies the term “distribution electrical substation” to include accessory
        administration or maintenance buildings and related accessory uses and structures. It also
        removes reference to “distribution” and the kilovolt limitation, applying the local regulation
        limitations to electric substations of all sizes, i.e., distribution and transmission substations.
        Additionally, the amendment makes the electric substation approval process applicable to
        existing substations, as well as new ones.
Statutes affected: 
S 1604 Filed: 163.3191, 163.3246, 189.08, 479.01
S 1604 c1: 163.3177, 163.3191, 189.08
S 1604 c2: 163.3177, 163.3191, 189.08
S 1604 e1: 163.3177, 163.3191, 189.08
S 1604 e2: 163.3177, 163.3191, 163.3208, 189.08
S 1604 er: 163.3177, 163.3191, 163.3208, 189.08