Comprehensive Planning

• Monroe County Year 2030 Comprehensive Plan
• Hurricane Evacuation Clearance Time Memorandum of Understanding
• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Proposed Hotel Rule

Comprehensive Planning

The Comprehensive Planning team is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the goals, objectives, and policies of the adopted Comprehensive Plan. Main responsibilities include responding to inquiries and offering customer service to the community, processing comprehensive plan amendments, and updating the comprehensive plan to ensure it is consistent with all current statutory and rule requirements.

The adopted Comprehensive Plan guides future growth and community development. The Comprehensive Plan contains elements that address future land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, coastal management, conservation, recreation, and open space, intergovernmental coordination, and capital improvements.

Comprehensive Plan Update - Evaluation and Appraisal Review

In 2010, Monroe County embarked on a major undertaking to update the Comprehensive Plan and adopted the 2030 Comprehensive Plan in April 2016. The County must evaluate its comprehensive plan every seven (7) years and determine if plan amendments are necessary to reflect changes in state requirements. As required by Section 163.3191, F.S. and Rule 73C-49, F.A.C., the County adopted Ordinance 013-2022 on August 17, 2022 and Ordinance 021-2022 on October 19, 2022.

Comprehensive Plan Amendments 

Procedures for the submittal and adoption of Comprehensive Plan amendments under the State Coordinated Review Process is provided below:

• State Coordinated Review Process Flowchart

Department of Economic Opportunity Notice of Intent

• Notice of Intent 23-01ACSC Comprehensive Plan Amendment

Carrying Capacity Report

• Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study
  • Appendices A, B, D, and E
  • Appendix C - Canal Impact Assessment Module
  • Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study

DATA AND ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

The documents below are the additional data and analysis utilized by Monroe County to support the update to the Comprehensive Plan.

• Monroe County Comprehensive Plan Technical Document Update May 2011
• Monroe County Comprehensive Plan Technical Document - Map Series
• 2012 Monroe County Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report
• 2014 Monroe County Evaluation and Appraisal Notification
• Florida Keys Hurricane Evacuation Memorandum of Understanding
• Florida Keys Hurricane Evacuation Work Group materials and minutes
• Statewide Regional Evacuation Study Program: South Florida
• Unincorporated Monroe County Population Projections
• Monroe County policy and funding strategies to address the potential future build-out challenges facing the Florida Keys (BOCC agenda item)
• Monroe County land acquisition initiatives(BOCC agenda item)
• Monroe County status of the implementation of the Incidental Take Permit and associated Habitat Conservation Plan for the Florida Key Deer and other protected species on Big Pine Key and No Name Key (BOCC agenda item)
• Analysis of Coastal Barrier Resources System Policies and Regulations in Monroe County
• Monroe County Marina Siting Plan

Pursuant to 163.3177(1)(f), all mandatory and optional elements of the comprehensive plan and plan amendments shall be based upon relevant and appropriate data and an analysis by the local government that may include, but not be limited to, surveys, studies, community goals and vision, and other data available at the time of adoption of the comprehensive plan or plan amendment. To be based on data means to react to it in an appropriate way, and to the extent, necessary indicated by the data available on that particular subject at the time of adoption of the plan or plan amendment at issue.

1. Surveys, studies, and data utilized in the preparation of the comprehensive plan may not be deemed a part of the comprehensive plan unless adopted as a part of it. Copies of such studies, surveys, data, and supporting documents for proposed plans and plan amendments shall be made available for public inspection, and copies of such plans shall be made available to the public upon payment of reasonable charges for reproduction. Support data or summaries are not subject to the compliance review process, but the comprehensive plan must be clearly based on appropriate data. Support data or summaries may be used to aid in the determination of compliance and consistency.

2. Data must be taken from professionally accepted sources. The application of a methodology utilized in data collection or whether a particular methodology is professionally accepted may be evaluated. However, the evaluation may not include whether one accepted methodology is better than another. Original data collection by local governments is not required. However, local governments may use original data so long as methodologies are professionally accepted.