Pinellas County public-works staff presented LDR25-01 on Nov. 12, proposing amendments to chapters 1-38 and 1-54 of the Land Development Code to align county plat and subdivision procedures with changes in state law (Chapter 177) and recent legislation. Staff said the amendments would allow some preliminary plats to be administratively approved (type 1 Path A) and change final plat review from a type 5 (Board of County Commissioners) to a type 1 Path B (county administrator or designee).

Juana (Mona) Gabriel, division director for capital improvement survey and mapping, and a presenter named Trey explained the revisions reduce duplicative review steps and would expedite issuance of residential building permits before final plat recording in certain circumstances. Staff said the changes were vetted with internal and external stakeholders and found consistent with the comprehensive plan.

Board members asked whether administrative review would remove public input; staff replied the substantive statutory compliance and staff-review steps remain the same and that preliminary plats typically appear on BOCC consent agendas today. The LPA approved the amendments and staff will forward the package to the Board of County Commissioners for final action on the scheduled Dec. 16, 2025 agenda.