Hillsborough County Zoning Changes & DecisionsDelivered Same-Day
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Of the 278 land-use decisions recorded across Hillsborough County over the last 24 months, 79% were approved. We read every Hillsborough County hearing and pull the outcome, the vote split, and the conditions, so you see how this board actually rules.
40 land-use decisions in Hillsborough County in the last 60 days, with the vote where one was recorded. Read one in full, free. Pro opens the rest of the market for $39 a month.
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What gets approved in Hillsborough County
In Hillsborough County, 79% of land-use board decisions were approved over the last 24 months. Variance clear 67%, Land use / comp-plan amendment 63%. ZoneWire analyzed 278 land-use board decisions in Hillsborough County over the last 24 months. Here are the most active project types and how often each one clears.
| Project type | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Variance | 18 | 67% |
| Land use / comp-plan amendment | 27 | 63% |
| Commercial / office / retail | 24 | 83% |
| Multifamily / attached housing | 19 | 79% |
| Industrial / warehouse | 12 | 100% |
| Single-family homes | 7 | 100% |
| Subdivision / plat | 5 | 100% |
4 decisions that went against the odds
These are the denials and deferrals in categories that usually sail through, the deals worth understanding before you commit capital.
Get free county alertsHow Hillsborough County rules on land use
In Hillsborough, a clean staff recommendation is not a green light and a denial is not a wall. The Board of County Commissioners approves about 96% of the land-use applications it decides, so your real exposure is two-sided: the conditions the board attaches (57% of approvals carry them) and organized neighborhood opposition, which produced the only two outright denials on record. One of those, the Northola townhome rezoning, was killed 7-0 even though staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master had all recommended approval. We tell you which conditions stick, where opposition flips a yes to a no, and how the elected board actually votes versus what its own hearing master recommends.
- Who decides
- Zoning Hearing Master recommends, Board of County Commissioners (BOCC Land Use meeting) decides
- The pattern
- 53 of 55 land-use applications decided at BOCC Land Use were approved (about 96%); 30 of those 53 approvals (57%) carried conditions; only 2 outright denials, both opposition-driven.
Proof
Rezoning PD25-0383, 10 townhomes, Northola Avenue
May 12, 2026
Staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master all recommended APPROVAL of a request to rezone a 4.92-acre parcel on Northola Avenue for 10 townhomes. Neighbors raised flooding and compatibility concerns. The Board denied it 7-0, citing incompatibility with surrounding large single-family lots and infrastructure and flooding concerns. This is the clean signal: the binding risk in Hillsborough is organized neighborhood opposition, not the staff recommendation.
See the decision and its conditionsFull breakdown
Hillsborough County decides land use at the Board of County Commissioners, in its BOCC Land Use meeting. Rezonings and planned developments first get a public hearing before the Zoning Hearing Master, who sends a recommendation up, but the elected board casts the binding vote.
On the record we are building, the board approved 53 of the 55 land-use applications it decided, about 96%, so getting to yes is the expectation, not the risk. The risk is what comes attached to that yes and who shows up to fight it.
Roughly 57% of approvals, 30 of 53, came with conditions, from stormwater commitments to setback transitions between zoning districts. And a clean staff recommendation does not settle the outcome here. The two outright denials on record were both driven by organized neighborhood opposition, not by staff.
The clearest case is the Northola Avenue townhome rezoning, PD 25-0383, on May 12, 2026: staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master all recommended approval, yet the board denied it 7-0 over flooding and compatibility concerns from neighbors. The flip runs the other way too.
When staff recommended denying the removal of four conditions at Keel Farms, the board approved the change 7-0, and when staff opposed The Yard recreation rezoning, the board sustained that denial 6-1.
We are still gathering data in this market, but the pattern is already legible: model your conditions and your opposition, because that, not the staff write-up, is what decides your hearing.
Key facts: Hillsborough County land-use record
- Hillsborough County approved 79% of 278 land-use decisions in the last 24 months.
- Hillsborough County has 586 rezoning-related records across 26 recent public meetings tracked by ZoneWire.
- The most recent tracked meeting in Hillsborough County was on October 19, 2026.
Updated with meetings through October 19, 2026.
See Real Meeting Intelligence
Here's what ZoneWire found in the latest Hillsborough County meeting
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-10-19
At the Hillsborough County Zoning Hearing Master hearing on 2026-10-19, Hearing Master Steve Luce heard and closed PD 26-0672, a request by Wyomama Grove LLC to rezone 69.2 acres from AR to PD for a 276-lot single-family subdivision in the Balm area.
See full analysisKey Decisions
- Continuances of multiple applications
- PD 26-0095 remand – Church Avenue multifamily
- Standard rezoning 26-1434 – Bonita Drive, Wimauma
BOCC Land Use - 2026-10-13
Land Use Hearing Officer - 2026-10-05
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-09-28
Plus every other session we monitor
Every Hillsborough County insight is sourced from official public meeting records and analyzed within hours, updated daily.
Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the County Planning Commission review Planned Development applications, rezonings, and comprehensive plan amendments across the metro. PD applications concentrate in Riverview, New Tampa, and Brandon, where greenfield residential development is most active. Downtown Tampa's Water Street district generates mixed-use and high-density rezoning filings. Wetland protection requirements and flood zone regulations add review layers that affect project timelines, particularly in low-lying areas near Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River. Special use permits for medical and institutional campuses appear frequently near the I-75 and I-4 interchange area.
Upcoming meetings in Hillsborough County
Hearings already on the calendar. Meetings with a published agenda link to the docket.
Hillsborough County this cycle
Land-use cases from the last 30 days of Hillsborough County meetings: what is proposed, what is moving, and what got decided.
Approved value-up rezones this cycle
- 16.51 ac rezoned AS-1 to RSC-9
Case 26-1184, Oct 13, 2026, East side of Rollerson Road, south of Boyette Road, AS-1RSC-9
- 79.9 ac rezoned AR to PD
Case PD 26-0671, Oct 13, 2026, North side of Highway 579, east of US 301, ARPD
- 1.71 ac rezoned RSC-9 to PD
Case PD 26-0673, Oct 13, 2026, SE corner of East 23rd and North 65th Street, RSC-9PD
- 0.55 ac rezoned CG to PD
Case PD 26-0445, Oct 13, 2026, South side of West Waters Avenue, east of N Dale Mabry, CGPD
Still in the queue
- Rezoning continued: RMC-20 to PD (2.49 ac)
Case PD 26-0095, Oct 19, 2026, Church Avenue, RMC-20PD
- Rezoning continued: AS-1 to RSC-4 (19 ac)
Case 26-1434, Oct 19, 2026, Bonita Drive, Wimauma, AS-1RSC-4
- Rezoning continued: ASC-1 to RSC-2
Case 26-1442, Oct 19, 2026, 7420 White House Drive, Riverview, ASC-1RSC-2
- Rezoning continued: AR to PD (69.2 ac)
Case PD 26-0672, Oct 19, 2026, Balm-Wimauma Road, Balm, ARPD
- Rezoning continued: CG to PD (2.53 ac)
Case PD 26-0957, Oct 19, 2026, Waters Avenue and Veterans Expressway, CGPD
- Rezoning continued: ASC-1 to PD (10.15 ac)
Case PD 26-1221, Oct 19, 2026, US Highway 41, Lutz, ASC-1PD
Outlook: Our forecast for case SU-AB 26-1549 at the Nov 9, 2026 meeting reads: Too close to call - this board approved 1 of its last 1.
Recent Zoning Insights in Hillsborough County
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-10-19
October 19, 2026
BOCC Land Use - 2026-10-13
October 13, 2026
Land Use Hearing Officer - 2026-10-05
October 5, 2026
Recent meetings with zoning keywords detected by ZoneWire. Subscribe to get all alerts in real time.
Explore Hillsborough County by Keyword
Monthly Zoning Activity
Hillsborough County had 3 public meetings in October 2026 with 736 zoning insights detected, up 41% from September.
| Month | Meetings | Zoning Insights | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 3 | 736 | Roundup |
| Sep 2026 | 3 | 523 | Roundup |
| Aug 2026 | 3 | 845 | Roundup |
| Jul 2026 | 3 | 615 | Roundup |
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 1019 | Roundup |
| May 2026 | 2 | 773 | Roundup |
Source: ZoneWire analysis of Hillsborough County public meeting transcripts. Updated daily.
Keep exploring Hillsborough County and Florida
How ZoneWire Works in Hillsborough County
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Sessions from Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County Planning Commission are tracked automatically. You'll never miss a discussion that could impact your next deal.
Zoning Insights, Flagged
Each transcript is scanned for rezoning, variances, pd (planned development), comprehensive plan amendments, and other zoning keywords. You get the signal, not the noise.
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ZoneWire has analyzed 30 Hillsborough County council meetings, flagging 8329 rezoning, variance, and development items.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the Planning Commission are all monitored by ZoneWire for rezoning requests, PD (Planned Development) amendments, comprehensive plan amendments, special use permits, and wetland development approvals.
Hillsborough County has approximately 7 zoning-related meetings per month across the County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the Planning Commission. The County Commission typically meets biweekly, while Tampa City Council meets weekly.
A PD (Planned Development) amendment in Hillsborough County modifies the approved development plan for a parcel, changing permitted uses, density, or design standards. PD amendments are common for large projects like Water Street Tampa and mixed-use developments in the Westshore district.
The highest volume of zoning activity in Hillsborough County occurs in the Water Street Tampa district for large-scale mixed-use development, the Westshore business district for redevelopment, and suburban growth areas in New Tampa and Riverview where comprehensive plan amendments are frequent.
Key zoning terms for Hillsborough County include PD (Planned Development) amendment, rezoning, comprehensive plan amendment, special use permit, wetland development permit, DRI (Development of Regional Impact), and CDD (Community Development District). ZoneWire tracks all of these automatically across every Hillsborough County governing body.
Yes. ZoneWire Free sends New Meeting Alerts for Hillsborough County at no cost, with the agenda for each meeting. ZoneWire Pro adds full transcripts, zoning and development analysis, and keyword alerts for $39 per market per month.
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