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FLORIDA markets Florida Miami-Dade Tampa Broward Palm Beach Orlando
How Miami-Dade Regulates Development

The framework, in JDJ’s words

Each market on this site runs its own code, department names, and review process. Here’s Miami-Dade’s.
STATE PROGRAM
Live Local Act (Fla. Stat. §125.01055)
LOCAL AUTHORITY

Miami-Dade Zoning Dept.

KEY THRESHOLD
40% affordable/workforce set-aside
Miami - Dade

Two Jurisdictions, One County

Miami-Dade County contains 34 municipalities plus a large unincorporated area, and each one can run its own zoning code. JDJ’s Miami-Dade practice is built around the two jurisdictions that cover the large majority of the projects we see:

City of Miami

Zoning is governed by Miami 21, the city's form-based zoning code, administered by the City of Miami Planning Department and Zoning Department. Land use approvals (rezonings, waivers, warrants, exceptions, Administrative Site Plan Review) run through the Planning Department's Land Development Division and, where a hearing is required, the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB). Building permits are issued through the city's ePlan/iBuild system.

Unincorporated Miami-Dade County

Zoning falls under Chapter 33 of the county's Code of Ordinances, administered by the county's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), which also handles building permits, plan review, and Certificates of Use. Environmental review (wetlands, coastal construction, contaminated sites, tree removal) runs through RER's Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM).

Other Miami-Dade municipalities

(Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, and 30 others) each maintain their own zoning authority, separate from both of the above. JDJ screens every Miami-Dade project for jurisdiction first, before any entitlement or permitting strategy is built, because the pathway, the department, and the applicable statute all change depending on which one applies.

Miami-Dade Service Offerings

What JDJ handles in Miami-Dade

The top Live Local county in the state, alongside 90+ active condo projects — here’s where JDJ fits.

01. Entitlements & Land Use

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Jurisdiction screening

confirming whether a site falls under City of Miami (Miami 21), unincorporated county (RER/Chapter 33), or another municipality, before any strategy is built.

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Site Plan Review

Administrative Site Plan Review (ASPR) coordination for City of Miami development that doesn't require a full hearing board process.

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Live Local Act Administrative Approval

Live Local Act eligibility review under the correct statute (§166.04151 for the City of Miami, §125.01055 for unincorporated county), including the 40% administrative-approval pathway and the 10% mixed-use pathway.

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Rezoning

Rezoning, Future Land Use Map (FLUM) changes, and Special Area Plan (SAP) applications, including pre-application coordination with Planning staff ahead of PZAB's twice-yearly rezoning hearing cycle (March and September).

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Special permit strategy for City of Miami projects

Warrants (uses not allowed by right in a transect zone), Waivers (relief from specific Miami 21 requirements), and Exceptions (uses requiring a PZAB hearing).

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Design Review Coordination

Urban Design Review Board (UDRB) and Wynwood Design Review Committee (WDRC) submittal support for projects in review-triggering districts.

02. Permit Expediting

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Submittal & Tracking

Plan submittal and tracking through City of Miami's ePlan/iBuild portal and Miami-Dade County RER's Plan Review and Application Portal.

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Permit Coordination

Master permit coordination for new construction and renovation, including the subsidiary electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing permits that follow.

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Inspection Coordination

Certificate of Use (CU) applications and inspection coordination for both city and unincorporated-county properties.

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Corrections Response Management

Corrections and resubmittal management across disciplines (building, zoning, structural, fire, DERM).

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Environmental Sign-off

Coordination with DERM on environmental sign-off (asbestos surveys for demolition and renovation, tree permits, coastal and wetlands review) where a project touches county environmental jurisdiction.

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03. Due Diligence & Feasibility

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Property Research

Zoning verification letters and property research through the City of Miami Zoning Interactive Tool and MuniMap, and the county's GIS Zoning Districts map.

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Pre-development Screening

Pre-development feasibility screening before acquisition, covering zoning capacity, entitlement pathway, and jurisdiction-specific hurdles.

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Density/Height Bonus Modeling

Density and height bonus modeling under Live Local Act and Miami 21's public benefits program.

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Miami-Dade County Clerk Deed Research

Restriction research on recorded deeds.

Local Relevance

What actually shapes a project here

The issues, timelines, and project types that come up most often when we work in Miami-Dade.
Litigation is now a real factor in Live Local Act strategy, and it is jurisdiction-specific

The City of Miami's planning leadership has said the Live Local Act conflicts with Miami 21 and has directed its city attorney to study a legal challenge to the law itself, a different posture than the developer-versus-municipality suits playing out elsewhere. The City of Miami has approved a large number of Live Local applications, but as of mid-2026 only a small fraction have started construction, which tells you approval is not the same thing as a buildable project. In Broward County, Hollywood won a narrow court decision against a developer over the law's height-matching provision. In Bal Harbour, ongoing litigation over a large mixed-use redevelopment has drawn a supporting brief from the Florida Attorney General's office. None of this invalidates the Live Local Act pathway, but it means eligibility screening now has to include an honest read of how the specific city or the county is currently treating these applications, not just a mechanical set-aside calculation.

Notable project types

Mixed-use multifamily development on commercial or industrial-zoned parcels under the Live Local Act is the signature project type across the county right now. Within the City of Miami, Brickell, Edgewater, and Wynwood remain the most active corridors for condo and mixed-use development, with Wynwood projects subject to additional design review through the WDRC.

Timelines vary by pathway and jurisdiction

Live Local Act projects that qualify for administrative approval skip rezoning and public hearings, which can meaningfully shorten entitlement time, but standard plan review, whether through City of Miami's ePlan system or Miami-Dade RER's portal, still runs on its own multi-month track regardless of Live Local status. Projects requiring a PZAB hearing in the City of Miami are bound to the twice-yearly rezoning cycle, so timing a submittal around the March or September hearing dates matters.

FAQ

Questions we hear most in Miami-Dade

Q. Who handles zoning in Miami, the city or the county?
It depends on the property. Inside City of Miami limits, zoning runs under Miami 21 and is administered by the City of Miami Planning and Zoning Departments. In unincorporated Miami-Dade County, zoning runs under Chapter 33 of the county code and is administered by Miami-Dade RER. Other cities within the county, like Miami Beach or Coral Gables, have their own separate zoning authority. JDJ confirms jurisdiction before recommending a strategy.

Q. What is the Live Local Act, and which statute applies to my project? 

The Live Local Act lets qualifying multifamily housing projects with at least 40% of units set aside as affordable or workforce housing bypass local rezoning and public hearings on commercial, industrial, or mixed-use land. Projects in the City of Miami (or any other municipality) fall under Fla. Stat. §166.04151. Projects in unincorporated Miami-Dade County fall under Fla. Stat. §125.01055.

Q. Do I need a public hearing for a Live Local Act project?

No, for projects that qualify for the 40% administrative-approval pathway. That is the central benefit of the law over a traditional rezoning. Standard plan review and permitting still apply on their normal timeline.

Q. Is the Live Local Act being challenged in court?

Yes, in several places and in different ways. The City of Miami has directed its city attorney to study a direct legal challenge to the law. Separately, developers have sued individual municipalities, including Bal Harbour and Hollywood, over specific project denials. JDJ tracks this litigation as part of eligibility screening rather than treating approval as guaranteed.

Q. What is the difference between a Warrant, a Waiver, and an Exception in the City of Miami?

All three are special permits under Miami 21 for uses or standards not allowed by right. A Warrant covers a use not permitted by right in a given transect zone. A Waiver provides relief from a specific Miami 21 standard. An Exception requires a hearing before the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board and, in some cases, City Commission approval.