By William Michaelis

As explained in an earlier blog post, per Section 252.363 of the Florida Statutes, the declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor tolls the period remaining to exercise rights under certain permits and authorizations for the duration of the emergency plus an additional 6 months. Section 252.363 applies to development orders, building permits, Department of Environmental Protection and Water Management District permits, and the buildout dates for DRIs.  On December 1 st , Governor Rick Scott extended the emergency declaration for Hurricane Matthew an additional 60 days with Executive Order 16-274.  As such, the tolling period and the notification deadline under the statute are extended further.