Zoning and land use changes can only occur once the new municipality completes its 20-year comprehensive plan. Until then, the county’s existing comprehensive plan remains in effect. This is known as the transitional period. Even during the transitional period, town leaders would oversee decisions regarding new development, according to the county plan, and the town’s comprehensive plan once it is put in place. The municipal charter provides the structure for the these services, and the transitional plan for moving this control to the municipality.

Once the comprehensive plan is complete, zoning and planning and code enforcement would be managed by the new municipality. Much of the actual work could be outsourced to the existing parties, but managed at the municipal level, with all decisions made by the new town. The new municipality would have its own citizen-led zoning and planning board, focused on development within the municipal boundaries.

Code enforcement is different because the elected town leaders would need to decide by vote to engage in code enforcement, set the standards, and then begin enforcing them. Some municipalities in Florida handle their own code enforcement, while others rely on the county for these services but contract them to the municipality’s standards.