Florida House Axes Granny Flat Rules, Restores Church Land Housing in Live Local Bill

The Florida House voted 98-4 to strip Senate-added "granny flat" requirements from a third update to the Live Local Act and restore a provision allowing affordable housing development on church-owned land, sending the amended bill back to the Senate with significant differences remaining between the two chambers.

For property owners and local governments on the Treasure Coast, the legislation carries direct consequences. If passed, HB 1389 would require counties and cities — including those in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties — to permit multifamily and mixed-use developments in commercially, industrially, or mixed-use zoned areas, provided at least 40% of units are offered at affordable rates for a minimum of 30 years. Localities where housing data shows an adequate supply of affordable units could opt out of the Live Local Act under the bill's updated language.

Rep. Mike Redondo, a Miami Republican and sponsor of the House version, removed all Senate language that would have required local governments to allow accessory dwelling units — studios, efficiencies, guesthouses, or so-called "granny flats" — in single-family residential neighborhoods through streamlined approval processes. The Senate had preferred that provision.

The House restored an allowance for affordable housing construction on property owned by a religious institution larger than three acres, as long as the church, synagogue, or mosque has operated on that parcel for at least 10 years. The bill also extends a provision allowing developers to assemble nearby parcels separated by up to 15 feet for qualifying projects.

Additional provisions would adjust property-tax rules for affordable housing projects, allow incentives for land donations for affordable housing, order a state analysis of tiny homes as a housing supply tool, and strengthen fair-housing protections. The measure would waive sovereign immunity for certain housing discrimination claims, exposing local governments to lawsuits beyond current liability caps of $200,000 and $300,000.

Florida lawmakers first passed the Live Local Act in 2023 and have amended it twice since. The Senate must now decide whether to accept the House's version or request a conference committee to resolve the remaining differences. No final vote date has been announced.

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