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Home / Government / Planning and Development / Comprehensive Plan

Per Section 163 Florida Statutes, local governments are required to create, adopt and maintain a Comprehensive Plan that addresses where residential and non-residential uses are located in the area. Polk County addresses the location of uses within unincorporated Polk County. Florida Statues provides for two methods to amend the Comprehensive Plan – Small Scale and Large Scale Amendments. Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan are proposed by property owners, and sometimes local governments, to change the designation from those listed within the Comprehensive Plan to another one listed in the Comprehensive Plan. Amendments can also include text amendments. Small Scale amendments are for properties 10 acres or less and Large Scale amendments are for text amendments and properties that are larger than 10 acres. Each requires a review by the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. Only Large Scale amendments are reviewed by state and regional agencies.

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Hearing Schedule

2024-25

 
Round Pre-Application Deadline
(Wednesday, 3 PM)
Application
Deadline
Planning Commission
Hearing
BoCC
Transmittal
BoCC
Adoption
A 4/24/2024 6/6/2024 9/4/2024 11/5/2024 1/7/2025
or 2/18/2025 (ACSC)
B 7/24/2024 9/5/2024 12/4/2024 2/4/2025 4/1/2025
or 5/20/2025 (ACSC)
C 10/23/2024 12/5/2024 3/5/2025 5/6/2025 7/1/2025
or 8/19/2025 (ACSC)
D 1/22/2025 3/6/2025 6/4/2025 8/5/2025 10/7/2025
or 12/16/2025 (ACSC)

2025-26

 
Round Pre-Application Deadline
(Wednesday, 3 PM)
Application
Deadline
Planning Commission
Hearing
BoCC
Transmittal
BoCC
Adoption
A 4/23/2025 6/5/2025 9/3/2025 11/4/2025 1/6/2026
or 2/17/2026 (ACSC)
B 7/23/2025 9/4/2025 12/3/2025 2/3/2026 4/7/2026
or 5/19/2026 (ACSC)
C 10/22/2025 12/4/2025 3/4/2026 5/6/2026 7/7/2026
or 8/18/2026 (ACSC)
D 1/28/2026 3/5/2026 6/3/2026 8/5/2026 10/6/2026
or 12/15/2026 (ACSC)

 
Pre-App Deadline for
Small-Scale CPA (Required)
Application Completion
Deadline (1st Thursday)
DRC Meeting Re-submittal
Deadline
Planning Commission
Hearing for Level 3 & 4
Review (1st Wednesday)
BoCC Hearing for
Level 4 Review
8/28/2024 10/3/2024 10/31/2024 11/14/2024 1/8/2025 Feb. 2025
9/25/2024 11/7/2024 11/21/2024 12/12/2024 2/5/2025 Mar. 2025
10/23/2024 12/5/2024 12/19/2024 1/9/2025 3/5/2025 Apr. 2025
11/27/2024 1/2/2025 1/30/2025 2/13/2025 4/2/2025 May. 2025
12/18/2024 2/6/2025 2/27/2025 3/13/2025 5/7/2025 Jun. 2025
1/29/2025 3/6/2025 3/27/2025 4/10/2025 6/4/2025 Jul. 2025
2/26/2025 4/3/2025 4/24/2025 5/8/2025 7/9/2025 Aug. 2025
3/26/2025 5/1/2025 5/22/2025 6/12/2025 8/6/2025 Sept. 2025
4/23/2025 6/5/2025 6/26/2025 7/10/2025 9/10/2025 Oct. 2025
5/28/2025 7/3/2025 7/31/2025 8/7/2025 10/1/2025 Nov. 2025
6/25/2025 8/7/2025 8/25/2025 9/11/2025 11/5/2025 Dec. 2025
7/30/2025 9/4/2025 9/25/2025 10/9/2025 12/3/2025 Jan. 2026
8/27/2025 10/2/2025 10/30/2025 11/13/2025 1/7/2026 Feb. 2026

State Agencies' Roles in Comprehensive Planning

According to the Florida Department of Commerce, the Comprehensive Plan is a state required document that serves as a blueprint for future commercial and residential land uses, housing, and conservation, as well as cultural and recreational amenities. An important component of the comprehensive plan is identifying the new infrastructure and growth demands needed to support the future physical and economic development of the community. Strategic investments made now in infrastructure, housing, recreational amenities, and education will create communities where families will want to live, where companies will want to do business, where jobs will be available, and where people will come to work and play.

The 1985 Growth Management Act and later changed to the 2011 Community Planning Act authorizes the Department of Florida Commerce’s Economic Opportunity’s Division of Community Planning, Development reviews comprehensive plans and plan amendments for compliance with the Florida’s Growth Management Act.

Other review agencies, including the regional planning councils, water management districts, the departments of State, Transportation, Environmental Protection and Agriculture, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, also review comprehensive plans and amendments and issue recommended objections to Florida Commerce DEO. Large scale (50 acres or more and text amendments) Comprehensive Plan amendments are transmitted to Florida Commerce for their review. Florida Commerce issues a report called Objections, Recommendations and Comments Report (ORC Report) and a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the adoption of a Comprehensive Plan amendment. The ORC Report and the NOI can be viewed on the Florida Commerce’s website at https://flcom.my.salesforce-sites.com/orcnew. Case summaries of proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments and other land development cases may be viewed here.

Have Questions?

For questions regarding the Comprehensive Plan or any of the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendments, please contact the Planner-On-Call.