On June 23, 2026, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved an ordinance aimed at increasing the transparency, consistency, and efficiency of the City’s development review process by allowing applicants to utilize qualified private providers to review development plans. The ordinance recognizes that allowing delays will increase housing and business costs and provides applicants with an alternative if the city’s review is unnecessarily prolonged.
For years, builders, engineers, and property owners have expressed frustration with permitting processes that are too often unpredictable. Instead of reviewing applications based on city-adopted ordinances and regulations, applicants frequently encountered new requirements not found in ordinance provisions, land development procedures manuals, or other adoption criteria. Projects that should have been approved within weeks often remained stalled for months as comments grew.
In some cases, applicants have reported receiving more than 90 review comments for relatively simple housing projects. The builders explained that they would need to construct open drainage ditches and walkways that were not connected to existing pedestrian facilities. One builder estimated that just allowing the delay would add thousands of dollars to the cost of constructing a single-family home, a cost that would ultimately be passed on to homebuyers.
The impact extended beyond market-rate housing. The affordable housing development was reportedly delayed for nearly a year because the city’s landscape architect, who was not a certified engineer, attempted to redesign key parts of the project. Asked what code changes the bureaucrats requested would require, neither the bureaucrats nor their offices responded, so the builder had to go to the city’s chief administrative officer to get approval for the drainage basin. Such delays will not only increase construction costs, but also postpone the delivery of much-needed homes.
This ordinance provides a practical solution. Eligible private providers, who stake their professional licenses, reputations, and insurance coverage on every review, can now perform plan reviews that were previously only performed by city employees. If the private provider certifies that the plan complies with applicable laws and codes, the city must issue approval or identify certain deficiencies within 10 days. The ordinance also prohibits the city from simply repeating a review already completed by a private operator. For those worried that these private providers are missing something, remember that if a Florida city misses something, the city is protected from lawsuits under the Florida Constitution. Private provider? There is no such protection.
The unanimous vote reflected the recognition that governments should enforce adopted laws, not unwritten rules, and that permits should be predictable, professional and efficient. The City of Jacksonville has taken an important step toward lowering housing costs, encouraging investment, and restoring confidence in the development review process by providing applicants with a meaningful alternative to bureaucratic delays.
