The Central Florida Regional Planning Council is working with Highlands County to update the Highlands County Comprehensive Plan through the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR).
Highlands 2050
Picture it. Plan it. Create it.
The Comprehensive Plan is a blueprint for current and future development in Highlands County. The Plan’s goals, objectives and policies reflect the County’s vision for its future, and for how it will meet the needs of existing and future residents, visitors and businesses.
Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR)
The County’s Comprehensive Plan provides a framework for managing the growth and development of the county. At least once every 7 years, each local government must evaluate its comprehensive plan to determine if plan amendments are necessary to reflect changes in State Statutes and submit an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) letter and signed affidavit notifying Florida Commerce as to its determination.
The proposed amendments to the Plan are based on a review of changes in Florida Statutes since the last time the Plan was updated and a review of the Comprehensive Plan against existing conditions, requirements of the Land Development Regulations, and input from the community. The County’s current Plan respects a 2030 Planning Horizon. The proposed Plan will be updated to the 2050 Planning Horizon consistent with Section 163.3177, Florida Statutes.
Part 1 (Summer 2025): Minor updates and Amendments for compliance with Florida Statutes.
The EAR provides the opportunity to take a holistic look at how well the Plan is working, and how it might be refined to address community-specific issues and challenges.
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Part 2 (Fall, Winter 2025): Amendments based on community vision and growth and development trends.
Following the submittal of the EAR, the County will revise the current Comprehensive Plan by adopting the appropriate amendments.
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Draft Amendments & Supporting Data
Each section includes goal, objective, and policy statements to help local leaders make decisions about that topic.
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A goal is a broad statement describing what the County wants to achieve.
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An objective describes clear, measurable steps toward reaching that goal.
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Policies are the specific actions the County will take to meet the objective and achieve the goal.
These goal, objective, and policy statements follow the rules in Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes and align with the other parts of the Comprehensive Plan.
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In the Draft Amendments below the text that is underlined is text to be added, and text that is shown as strikeout is to be removed. ​To learn more about each section, select a section below.
Future Land Use
Highlands County’s future land use plan offers a big-picture roadmap for how the county expects to grow and evolve. It pinpoints where residential neighborhoods, commercial centers, industrial parks, farms, recreational areas, conservation zones, schools, public facilities, and other land uses will go—and how much space each will need. For every category, the plan lays out approximate acreage and gives a general sense of the expected density or intensity of use.
As Highlands County’s guiding vision, this element sets the long-term direction for all land-use programs and activities, ensuring every zoning decision and development project moves the county toward its overall goals.
Proposed Amendments
Summary of Changes
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Introduction: Added Introduction to cite the Future Land Use Element Requirements
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GOAL: Greenhouse gas reduction strategies are no longer required in Florida Statutes. The planning period has been updated.
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Objective 1: The planning period has been updated.
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Policy 1.2.D: Added to list the Future Land Use classifications.
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Policy 1.2.E: Future Land Uses that address Accessory Uses: The detail of accessory uses is addressed in the County’s Land Development Regulations and is not necessary here.
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Policy 1.2.E.6: The Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) program has been replaced by Florida Forever program.
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Policy 1.2.E.7.e.: Commercial Future Land Use: The requirements for assisted living facilities are provided in the County’s Land Development Regulations.
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Policy 1.2.E.15: The Overlay District should not be listed as a Future Land Use category. It is an overlay. No land has been assigned this land use. The land use is being removed.
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Policy 1.6: Right to Farm Act: Policy amended for clarification.
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Policy 5.2: Concurrency Clearance Procedure: Policy removed as this is addressed in the Land Development Regulations.
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Policy 10.6: Policy removed as Telecommunication Towers are addressed in the County’s Land Development Regulations.
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Policy 13.2.2: Highway Park – Findings of Existing Conditions: This section is being updated and relocated to the Technical Support Document. This is data and not policy.
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Objective 15: Site Specific Developments: This objective and subsequent policies are being relocated to a new Appendix A of the Future Land Use Element. This policies will be removed from the Plan at time of applicant-initiated development and amendments.
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Throughout: Language in Future Land Use categories has been updated from “churches” to “places of worship” consistent with the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
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Throughout: References to the Florida Department of Commerce have been added.
Housing Element
The Housing Element is designed to help make sure that people of all income levels will have access to housing in the future. It sets policies that support a variety of housing types throughout the County. Making sure there are enough safe and good-quality homes is one of the most important ways a local government can protect the health, safety, and well-being of its residents.
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Proposed Amendments
Summary of Changes
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Introduction: Added Introduction to cite Housing Element Requirements
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Removed Planning Timeframe as this is an ongoing goal.
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Policy 1.1.G.: Added to comply with Florida Statutes 163.31771 addressing accessory dwelling units.
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Policy 2.5: Updated reference to the Local Housing Assistance Plan.
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Policy 2.7: New Policy to address infrastructure improvements in residential neighborhoods with concentrations of substandard housing to encourage infill and private investment.
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Policy 3.3: Policy deleted because the County utilizes the Florida Building Code.
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OBJECTIVE 10: Policy updated. Greenhouse gas reduction no longer required by Florida Statutes. Outdated references deleted.
Intergovernmental Coordination
Because the County can’t meet every community need on its own, strong partnerships with local and state governments and other agencies are vital. The Intergovernmental Coordination Element lays out the principles and guidelines that will guide our collaboration with these entities.
Proposed Amendments
Summary of Changes
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Introduction: Added Introduction to cite the Intergovernmental Coordination Element Requirements.
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GOAL: Removed Planning Timeframe as this is an ongoing goal.
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Policy 1.1: Provided clarification to the reference of the US Department of Defense related to the Avon Park Air Force Range.
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Policy 1.8: Added policy to address coordination of the Local Hazard Mitigation Working Group.
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Policy 4.8: Removed policy. The policy is out of date. Developments of Regional Impact are now facilitated through the Coordinated Comprehensive Plan Amendment Review process.
​Workshop Schedule
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May 13, 2025 | Planning & Zoning Commission
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Housing, Intergovernmental Coordination, & Future Land Use
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June 3, 2025 | Board of County Commissioners
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​Housing, Intergovernmental Coordination, & Future Land Use
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June 10, 2025 | Planning & Zoning Commission
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Infrastructure, Transportation, Economic Development, Natural Resources, & Property Rights Element
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July 1, 2025 | Board of County Commissioners
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Infrastructure, Transportation, Economic Development, Natural Resources, & Property Rights Element
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July 8, 2025 | Planning & Zoning Commission
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Recreation and Open Space, Capital Improvements, & Public School Facilities
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August 5, 2025 | Board of County Commissioners
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Recreation and Open Space, Capital Improvements, & Public School Facilities
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