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Why Comprehensive Plans Matter

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The Future Land Use Map

It’s an important part of the comprehensive plan

Your city or county comprehensive plan is one of the most important documents to know about. Whereas the charter determines the form of government, the comprehensive plan sets the government’s goals.

That means the the comprehensive plan affects everything from affordable housing to climate change to transit. Even the zoning code is not allowed to contradict any changes to the comprehensive plan.

Setting Goals

Remember, the comprehensive plan is your opportunity to help set the goals of your government. 

Maybe that’s creating more affordable housing. 

Maybe it’s deciding to become a climate resilient community. 

Either way, these plans are less about the technical details of how the goals are achieved bit by bit and more about a long-term vision. 

Writing the Plan

Under Florida law, cities and counties have to rewrite or revise their comprehensive plans every 7 years through a process called Evaluation and Appraisal Review (“EAR”).

This EAR process should involve opportunities for community input and feedback. Whatever your local government decides, the plan has to go before the state government for approval.

At the end of this process, the zoning code will usually be updated as well.

But that 7-year cycle isn’t the only time these plans are updated. Changes to the plan happen all the time through “land use plan amendments” and “small scale amendments” that begin at the planning board level.

These are all great opportunities for public comment.

What’s in the Plan?

These plans are organized into:

  • Elements

  • Goals

  • Objectives

  • Policies

Elements contain goals, which contain objectives, which contain policies. It’s actually pretty easy to read. Here’s an example:

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The kinds of elements that can be written into a comprehensive plan are regulated by state law.

For example, Miami-Dade County’s comprehensive plan contains the following elements:

  • Land Use

  • Transportation

  • Housing

  • Conservation, Aquifer Recharge and Drainage

  • Water, Sewer and Solid Waste

  • Recreation and Open Space

  • Coastal Management

  • Intergovernmental Coordination

  • Capital Improvements

  • Educational 

  • Economic

  • Community Health and Design

  • Adaptation Action Areas (“AAA”)

The AAA element is meant to facilitate adaptive planning to rising sea levels. It’s a state-approved element that didn’t exist until a coalition of local governments lobbied for its creation. You can learn more about how it’s implemented here.

Another important part of the plan is the Future Land Use Map (“FLUM”). It’s a visual representation of the comprehensive plan and sets the agenda for community development and zoning.

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