Free practice
The local planning agency and Florida's Community Planning Act
Finish →Question 1 of 40
Under Florida's Community Planning Act, which function belongs to the local planning agency?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Preparing the comprehensive plan and recommending its adoption
Florida assigns preparation of the comprehensive plan and recommendations on adoption to the local planning agency. The recommendation goes to the governing body.
Question 2 of 40
A Florida local government needs a local planning agency that has not otherwise been established by law. How does its governing body ordinarily establish that agency?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: By designating and establishing it by ordinance
Section 163.3174 directs the local governing body to designate and establish the local planning agency by ordinance unless it is otherwise established by law.
Question 3 of 40
What is the primary role of a Florida comprehensive plan?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Providing principles and strategies to guide balanced future development
The comprehensive plan provides principles, guidelines, standards, and strategies for orderly and balanced future development. It guides decisions and implementation rather than functioning as a project permit or land-records system.
Question 4 of 40
A Florida city hires a consultant to draft a comprehensive plan amendment. Who retains responsibility for the final recommendation to the city governing body?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The local planning agency
Florida allows designated persons or entities to prepare the document, but the local planning agency retains responsibility for the final recommendation to the governing body.
Question 5 of 40
A Florida planning agency has a completed draft amendment but has held no public hearing on it. What must occur before the agency recommends the amendment to the governing body?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The agency must hold at least one public hearing with public notice
During preparation and before its recommendation, the local planning agency must hold at least one public hearing with public notice on the proposed plan or amendment.
Question 6 of 40
A Florida city council proposes to designate itself as the local planning agency and add the required school board representative. Which conclusion is correct?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Florida permits the governing body to serve as the local planning agency
Section 163.3174 permits the governing body to designate itself as the local planning agency with the addition of a nonvoting school board representative.
Question 7 of 40
For Florida's initial local review of specified residential-density increases, what is the school district representative's voting status unless the governing body grants voting status?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Nonvoting
The school board appointed representative is a nonvoting member, although the local governing body may grant voting status.
Question 8 of 40
Florida requires each local government to evaluate its comprehensive plan at least once within which interval?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Seven years
Section 163.3191 requires evaluation at least once every seven years. This is distinct from the annual capital improvements review and from planning or capital schedule horizons.
Question 9 of 40
After adoption, a Florida comprehensive plan is no longer meeting community needs. What is the local planning agency's appropriate role?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Monitor its effectiveness and recommend changes to the governing body
Florida gives the local planning agency continuing responsibility to monitor and oversee the plan's effectiveness and status and recommend needed changes.
Question 10 of 40
A Florida plan identifies development policies and the regulations that will implement them but does not reproduce the full regulatory text. Which assessment is best?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: That approach is consistent with the distinction between plan policies and implementing regulations
Florida requires the plan to identify implementation strategies and relevant regulations, not to include all implementing regulations within the plan itself.
Question 11 of 40
Which proposed action clearly triggers the school district participation requirement described in Florida's local planning agency law?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Initial review of a rezoning that would increase residential density
The requirement covers meetings of agencies that first review comprehensive plan amendments and rezonings that would increase residential density.
Question 12 of 40
A Florida planning agency gives applicable community college boards seats on a technical advisory committee. What is the best assessment?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: It is a permitted way to provide community college board involvement
Florida permits community college board involvement through formal representation, technical advisory committee membership, or other appropriate means.
Question 13 of 40
Which Florida planning component must the local government review annually?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The capital improvements element
Section 163.3177 requires annual review of the capital improvements element. That requirement is separate from the broader periodic comprehensive plan evaluation.
Question 14 of 40
A Florida municipality's proposed growth policies affect neighboring communities and regional water supply. Which planning approach best fits Chapter 163?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Coordinate its plan with neighboring plans and the appropriate regional water supply plans
Florida makes coordination with adjacent jurisdictions' comprehensive plans and the appropriate water management district's regional water supply plans a major objective of local planning.
Question 15 of 40
A Florida comprehensive plan was evaluated three years ago. Staff claims the capital improvements element can wait four more years for review. What is the flaw?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The capital improvements element has a separate annual review requirement
The seven-year comprehensive plan evaluation interval does not postpone annual review of the capital improvements element.
Question 16 of 40
Which sequence correctly describes the local planning agency's role before a Florida governing body's adoption decision?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Preparation with a noticed public hearing before the agency's recommendation
The agency holds a noticed public hearing during preparation and before recommending adoption or amendment to the governing body.
Question 17 of 40
A Florida city designates its planning department as the local planning agency. A resident objects that only a planning commission may serve. Which response is correct?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Florida permits a local government's planning department to serve as the local planning agency
Florida expressly permits a planning commission, planning department, or another authorized instrumentality to serve as the local planning agency.
Question 18 of 40
Who appoints the school district representative described in Florida's local planning agency membership requirement?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The school board
Section 163.3174 identifies a school district representative appointed by the school board.
Question 19 of 40
A Florida city wants its school district representative to vote during planning agency review. What does Chapter 163 permit?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The local governing body may grant voting status
Although the statutory baseline is nonvoting membership, Florida allows the local governing body to grant the school board member voting status.
Question 20 of 40
A Florida city calls a plan 'comprehensive' but treats its environmental and fiscal policies as unrelated to its development strategy. Which criticism best fits the statutory purpose?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The plan should guide balanced development across these connected community concerns
Florida's comprehensive plan framework encompasses balanced economic, social, physical, environmental, and fiscal development. Treating those concerns as unrelated misses that coordinated purpose.
Question 21 of 40
Before a Florida planning agency's required hearing on a proposed plan amendment, what accompanying procedural feature is required?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Public notice
Florida requires at least one public hearing with public notice during preparation and before the agency's recommendation.
Question 22 of 40
A Florida planning agency held a properly noticed hearing and recommended a comprehensive plan amendment. A broker says the agency's favorable recommendation itself adopted the amendment. What is the best correction?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The recommendation goes to the governing body for its adoption decision
A local planning agency recommends adoption or amendment to the governing body. A favorable recommendation is not itself the governing body's adoption decision.
Question 23 of 40
Which action best demonstrates implementation of a Florida comprehensive plan?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Initiating or modifying programs and development regulations to carry out its policies
The plan's principles and strategies describe how programs, activities, and land development regulations will be initiated, modified, or continued to implement the plan consistently.
Question 24 of 40
During Florida's periodic comprehensive plan evaluation, which inquiry directly serves the required review?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Whether amendments are needed to reflect changed state requirements and the required planning period
Section 163.3191 directs evaluation of whether amendments are necessary to reflect changes in state requirements or the required minimum planning period.
Question 25 of 40
A Florida planning consultant conducts a private briefing for city staff. The local planning agency plans to recommend the amendment without holding a public hearing. Why is the briefing insufficient?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The agency still must hold a noticed public hearing before its recommendation
A private staff briefing does not satisfy the local planning agency's duty to hold at least one public hearing with public notice before recommending the amendment.
Question 26 of 40
Under Florida's comprehensive planning framework, which pairing correctly distinguishes policy from implementation?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Comprehensive plan: development principles and strategies; development regulations: more detailed implementing rules
Florida's comprehensive plan establishes development principles and meaningful guidelines for more detailed land development and use regulations.
Question 27 of 40
Two Florida city departments propose programs that pursue conflicting development goals. Which use of the comprehensive plan best addresses the conflict?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Use the plan's principles and strategies to guide the programs consistently
The comprehensive plan's principles and strategies guide future decisions consistently and describe how programs and activities implement the plan.
Question 28 of 40
Which statement correctly describes Florida's requirement to evaluate a comprehensive plan 'at least once every seven years'?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Evaluation may occur more frequently than every seven years
The phrase 'at least once' establishes a minimum evaluation frequency, not a prohibition on earlier evaluation or an automatic plan expiration.
Question 29 of 40
A Florida planning agency spots a pattern of development inconsistent with the plan's intended results. Which response best reflects its continuing responsibility?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Assess effectiveness and recommend needed plan changes to the governing body
The local planning agency monitors and oversees plan effectiveness and status and recommends changes that may be required.
Question 30 of 40
A Florida city council serves as its own local planning agency. Which interpretation correctly preserves the roles described in Chapter 163?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The council performs planning agency duties as well as its governing body adoption role
Florida permits the governing body to act as the local planning agency. This organizational choice does not erase the planning agency's statutory responsibilities.
Question 31 of 40
What is a major coordination objective of Florida's local comprehensive planning process?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Relating the local plan to neighboring comprehensive plans and regional water supply planning
Section 163.3177 makes coordination with adjacent jurisdictions' plans and appropriate regional water supply plans a major objective.
Question 32 of 40
A Florida town claims that allowing a community college board to submit planning advice lets it omit the school representative from initial review of a residential-density increase. Why is that reasoning incorrect?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Community college involvement and school district representation are separate requirements
Florida separately requires opportunities for community college board involvement and school district representation for the specified initial reviews. Meeting one does not replace the other.
Question 33 of 40
A Florida city is preparing policies for development near its boundary. Which fact most directly calls for intergovernmental plan coordination?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The proposed development relates to the adjacent county's comprehensive plan
Florida identifies coordination with adjacent jurisdictions' comprehensive plans as a major objective. The relationship to the adjacent county's plan directly engages that objective.
Question 34 of 40
A Florida planning agency wants to issue its recommendation today and hold its first noticed public hearing on the amendment next week. Which change corrects the sequencing problem?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Hold the required noticed hearing before making the recommendation
Florida requires the local planning agency's noticed public hearing during preparation and prior to any recommendation to the governing body.
Question 35 of 40
Which arrangement preserves Florida's division of planning responsibilities when a committee prepares a draft amendment?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The committee prepares the draft, and the local planning agency retains the final recommendation
Florida allows designated committees or other participants to prepare a plan or amendment but preserves the local planning agency's final recommendation responsibility.
Question 36 of 40
Which distinction between two Florida planning duties is accurate?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The local planning agency monitors effectiveness, while the local government conducts the required periodic plan evaluation
Section 163.3174 assigns monitoring to the local planning agency, while section 163.3191 requires each local government to evaluate its comprehensive plan at least every seven years. The duties complement each other.
Question 37 of 40
A Florida plan announces a growth policy but says nothing about the programs, activities, or regulations that will carry it out. Which revision best addresses the implementation gap?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Identify implementation measures and explain how they will carry out the policy consistently
Florida requires the plan's principles and strategies to describe how programs, activities, and land development regulations will implement the comprehensive plan consistently.
Question 38 of 40
A Florida official says the plan's seven-year evaluation interval also controls review of the capital improvements element and establishes the plan's future planning horizon. What is the best assessment?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Incorrect, because evaluation frequency, annual element review, and planning horizons are different concepts
The comprehensive plan evaluation occurs at least every seven years, while the capital improvements element is reviewed annually. A planning horizon describes how far forward the plan looks, not how often it is evaluated.
Question 39 of 40
A Florida developer requests a density-increasing plan amendment. A consultant drafts it, and the planning agency proposes a favorable recommendation before its first public hearing. Which assessment correctly identifies the issue?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: Consultant drafting is permitted, but the noticed agency hearing must precede its recommendation
Florida permits designated persons to prepare amendments but requires the local planning agency to hold a noticed public hearing before recommending them. Delegating drafting does not change that sequence.
Question 40 of 40
A Florida city's plan has been adopted. The planning agency proposes to track results, recommend adjustments, and consider neighboring plans as growth continues. Which assessment best fits Chapter 163?
Reveal answer
Correct answer: The proposal reflects continuing monitoring and coordinated planning responsibilities
Florida assigns the agency ongoing monitoring and recommendation duties and makes intergovernmental plan coordination a major objective. Adoption does not end these responsibilities or require waiting for the next periodic evaluation.
Ready when you are
This free set is 40 questions from one objective. A plan opens 3479 questions across the whole Florida exam, plus mock exams, spoken rationales, and audio you can study while driving.