Florida lawmakers are advancing legislation aimed at loosening local land-use regulations in an effort to accelerate the construction of smaller, more affordable starter homes—mirroring a similar push underway in Indiana.
On Tuesday, Florida’s Senate Committee on Community Affairs voted Senate Bill 948 out of committee, while Indiana’s House approved House Bill 1001. Both measures seek to curb local government authority over zoning and development standards that supporters say are limiting housing supply, particularly entry-level homes.
Florida’s proposal would prohibit certain restrictive land development rules, including minimum lot size requirements above 1,200 square feet, while limiting local regulations tied to parking standards, lot splits, setbacks, and open space minimums. The bill is designed to make it easier for builders to construct homes on smaller parcels in a state facing mounting affordability challenges.
“We have a shortage of housing; we’ve not caught up,” said Republican State Sen. Stan McClain, who introduced the bill in December and has bipartisan backing from four cosponsors.
Florida currently leads the nation in the share of million-dollar home listings and has some of the highest homeowners association fees, even as its population continues to grow. According to Florida Realtors data, the state’s average home sale price reached $628,500 in December, earning Florida a C+ on Realtor.com®’s state-by-state housing affordability report card.
McClain argued that overly rigid zoning rules are preventing developers from responding to market demand, especially for infill and starter home projects.
“This is just to try to make sure that we can continue to find ways to increase our housing stock,” McClain said. “Builders are pretty good at being innovative about what kind of house they can build on that lot.”
The legislation asserts that Florida’s housing shortage “is caused in part by land development regulations adopted by local governments without a compelling governmental interest,” which “substantially burden” property rights.
While Senate Bill 948 reins in local zoning authority, amendments allow homeowner associations, condominiums, and cooperatives to opt out through deed restrictions. Additional exceptions apply to historic properties and other special circumstances.
In Indiana, House Bill 1001 passed the House by a 76–15 margin and now heads to the Senate. The bill allows builders to construct single-family homes, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and affordable housing on certain properties owned by religious organizations—without local hearings. It also reduces minimum parking requirements, limits design regulation, and permits residential development in some commercially zoned areas.
“There’s no one single proposal that’s going to bring housing to the market fast enough to solve the problem independently,” said Rep. Doug Miller, the bill’s author. “What this bill says is take a wide-spread approach, offering a lot of options, defaulting to a what lot of other state have done, and look at policies that bring housing to the market the fastest.”
Indiana needs an estimated 50,000 housing units to meet current demand, according to Miller. The state earned a B+ on Realtor.com®’s affordability report card.
However, some county officials argue the legislation strips local governments of their ability to manage growth. Hamilton County commissioners warned that the bill “undermines the ability of local governments to shape the growth and development of their neighborhoods according to the unique needs of their residents.”
In Florida, opposition groups raised similar concerns. Courtney Mooney, associate director of public policy at the Florida Association of Counties, warned that the bill could encourage dense development without adequate planning.
A single five-acre parcel, she noted, could theoretically accommodate 180 homes under the bill’s standards.
Rebecca O’Hara, legislative director for the Florida League of Cities, said the legislation could override existing zoning frameworks and undermine local planning efforts.
“This bill forces a strict residential zoning code on every city and county even if there’s no housing deficit in the area,” O’Hara said.
She added that the proposal “ignores conflicting state mandates and growth management and renders local government comprehensive plans obsolete.”
Supporters counter that the legislation targets what they describe as unnecessary regulatory barriers that inflate costs and discourage starter home construction.
“The width of a lot, the depth of a lot, the side setbacks, things that no one thinks about outside of planning departments,” said Bryan Eastman, a commissioner for the City of Gainesville. “They have an enormous impact on what you can build within that.”
Eastman said Gainesville reduced lot size requirements to spur starter home construction but has seen only a gradual increase in development. He believes statewide action is necessary because housing challenges transcend municipal boundaries.
Sam Staley, director of Florida State University’s DeVoe Moore Center, said the bill would speed zoning and permitting timelines and expand options for manufactured housing.
“It’s not just about the total number, it’s, are we building the right homes, in the right places, for the right housing segments,” Staley said. “Unambiguously, this bill is going to increase the number of starter homes.”
As both states push forward, the proposals highlight a growing national debate over how far state governments should go in reshaping local land-use authority to address housing affordability and supply shortages.
Originally reported by Tristan Navera in Realtor.
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