On June 23, 2026, the Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved an ordinance designed to bring greater transparency, consistency, and efficiency to the City’s development review process by allowing applicants to use qualified private providers to review development plans. The ordinance recognizes that permitting delays increases the cost of housing and doing business and provides applicants with an alternative when City review becomes unnecessarily prolonged.
For years, builders, engineers, and property owners have expressed frustration with a permitting process that too often became unpredictable. Instead of reviewing applications under the City’s adopted ordinances and regulations, applicants frequently encountered new requirements not found in the Ordinance Code, the Land Development Procedures Manual, or any other adopted standard. As comments multiplied, projects that should have been approved in weeks often remained stalled for months.
In some instances, applicants reported receiving more than 90 review comments on relatively straightforward residential projects. Builders described being required to construct drainage ditches that connected to nothing and sidewalks that did not connect to existing pedestrian facilities. One builder estimated that permitting delays alone added thousands of dollars to the cost of constructing a single-family home—costs ultimately borne by homebuyers.
The impact extended beyond market-rate housing. An affordable housing development was reportedly delayed for almost a year after a City landscape architect—who was not a licensed engineer—sought to redesign significant portions of the project. When asked what codes required the bureaucrat’s requested changes, he and his office failed to respond, which necessitated the builder going to the chief administrative officer of the City just to get approval of a drainage pond. Delays of that magnitude not only increase construction costs but also postpone the delivery of much-needed housing.
The ordinance offers a practical solution. Qualified private providers, who place their professional licenses, reputations, and insurance coverage on the line with every review, may now perform plan reviews that were previously conducted only by City staff. If the private provider certifies that the plans comply with applicable laws and codes, the City must either issue approval or identify specific deficiencies within 10 days. The ordinance also prohibits the City from simply repeating the review already completed by the private provider. For those who worry that these private providers will miss something, keep in mind that when the City misses something, the City is protected from a lawsuit under the Florida Constitution. The private provider? No such protection.
The unanimous vote reflects a recognition that government should enforce adopted laws—not unwritten policies—and that permitting should be predictable, professional, and efficient. By providing applicants with a meaningful alternative to bureaucratic delay, Jacksonville has taken an important step toward reducing housing costs, encouraging investment, and restoring confidence in the development review process.
