Florida Statutes Title XII. Municipalities § 171.201. Legislative intent

The Legislature intends to provide an alternative to part I of this chapter for local governments regarding the annexation of territory into a municipality and the subtraction of territory from the unincorporated area of the county. The principal goal of this part is to encourage local governments to jointly determine how to provide services to residents and property in the most efficient and effective manner while balancing the needs and desires of the community. This part is intended to establish a more flexible process for adjusting municipal boundaries and to address a wider range of the effects of annexation. This part is intended to encourage intergovernmental coordination in planning, service delivery, and boundary adjustments and to reduce intergovernmental conflicts and litigation between local governments. It is the intent of this part to promote sensible boundaries that reduce the costs of local governments, avoid duplicating local services, and increase political transparency and accountability. This part is intended to prevent inefficient service delivery and an insufficient tax base to support the delivery of those services.