The Live Local Act in Stuart
How each rule works, how LiveLocalHorizon applies it to the City of Stuart's code, and where the readings are still open.
What counts as a qualifying project
The Act applies to a proposed multifamily or mixed-use residential development where:
- at least 40% of the residential units are rental units affordable to households earning up to 120% of area median income, for at least 30 years;
- for a mixed-use project, at least 65% of the total floor area is residential (the city may limit non-residential space to 10%);
- the site is in an eligible category: commercial, industrial or mixed-use zoning (including flexibly zoned areas), public land, or qualifying religious-institution land.
A qualifying project must be approved administratively, with no rezoning, land-use amendment, special exception or variance required for the use, density or height the Act allows. It still has to meet the city's other development rules, such as site plan, landscaping, stormwater and building code standards.
Density: a citywide test
The city may not limit density below the highest density currently allowed on any land in the city where residential development is allowed. Bonus, variance and other special-exception densities don't count. Live Local projects themselves don't count either.
In Stuart the tool offers two readings:
- 20 du/ac by right: LDC Table 3a allows 20 units per acre in Urban Code districts in Multi-family and Office/Residential land use, the highest by-right figure in the code.
- 30 du/ac including PUD and exception densities: the Comprehensive Plan reaches 30 units per acre through UPUD, RPUD or a Major Urban Code Exception. Whether these count is contested, because the statute excludes "bonus, variance or other special exception" densities.
Height: the one-mile benchmark
The city may not limit height below the highest height currently allowed, or allowed on 1 July 2023, for a commercial or residential building within one mile of the proposed development, or three storeys, whichever is higher. Since 1 July 2026 the city also may not reach a lower height indirectly through setbacks or stepbacks.
The tool buffers the parcel boundary by one mile, lists every zoning district inside, and takes the tallest by-right height. Conditional-use and Major Urban Code Exception heights are excluded. Stuart's Comprehensive Plan Policy 1.A5.6 caps buildings citywide at the greater of 45 feet or four storeys, so in practice the benchmark is four storeys and 45 feet wherever a four-storey district falls within the mile.
Single-family adjacency
Where the site is adjacent, on two or more sides, to parcels zoned for single-family residential use, the city may restrict height to 150% of the tallest building on adjacent property, or three storeys, whichever is higher.
The tool splits the parcel boundary into sides from its geometry and records which sides touch single-family zoning (R-1A, R-1 and East Stuart's Single Family Duplex). It offers two readings of "adjacent": touching, or across a street of up to 100 feet. Building heights aren't in the city's GIS, so the tallest adjacent building has to be surveyed and entered by hand.
Floor area ratio
A qualifying project is entitled to 150% of the highest floor area ratio currently allowed in the city for land where residential use is allowed. Stuart's highest is just under 4.0 in Downtown Redevelopment (Comprehensive Plan and LDC Table 4), so the tool uses 6.0. Impervious surface and open space requirements still shape the site layout.
How Stuart's zoning districts are treated
This is the district table the tool uses. Readings marked "confirm" depend on how the city interprets "commercial use by right".
| Districts | Use by right | Live Local | Max height by right |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, Commercial PUD | Commercial | Eligible | 45 ft · 4 st |
| Urban Center, Urban General, Urban Neighborhood, Urban Highway, Urban Waterfront, Creek North, Creek South, Mixed Use PUD, Urban PUD | Mixed use | Eligible | 45 ft · 4 st |
| Business Mixed Use (East Stuart) | Mixed use | Eligible | 35 ft · 3 st |
| Industrial, Industrial PUD, Creek Industrial | Industrial | Eligible | 45 ft · 4 st |
| R-3 | Multi-family; office permitted | Likely, confirm | 45 ft · 4 st |
| General Residential Office (East Stuart) | Residential; office permitted | Likely, confirm | 35 ft · 3 st |
| Residential PUD | Residential | Check the PUD | per PUD |
| Public, Public Service PUD, Hospital | Public / institutional | If publicly owned | 45 ft · 4 st |
| R-1A, R-1, R-2, Single Family Duplex | Residential only | Not eligible | 25–35 ft |
| Recreation | Open space | Excluded | — |
| Annexed County | Martin County zoning | Look up | — |
Sources: Stuart LDC Ch. II Tables 2 and 5–7 (as amended by Ord. 2539-2025), Ch. III Urban Code 3.01.04, East Stuart Neighborhood code, Comprehensive Plan Policy 1.A5.6.
Exclusions
- Airports. Development in airport-impacted areas is excluded unless the airport's governing body approves. The tool flags parcels within 1.5 miles of Witham Field.
- Conservation and open space. Land under a recorded conservation easement, and open space and park districts in existence before 1 July 2026. The tool flags Conservation future land use and Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas; easements need a title search.
- Areas of critical state concern. None are in Martin County.
- Farms. Since 2026, farm operations don't count as commercial use.
Data the tool uses
- City of Stuart Open Data: zoning, future land use, parcels and ownership, address points, CRA boundary, habitat areas and FEMA flood zones.
- Florida Division of Emergency Management: hurricane evacuation zones from the 2013 statewide regional evacuation studies. Martin County's Know Your Zone map is the current authority.
- UF GeoPlan Center: city limits, built from Florida Department of Revenue parcel data.
All queries run live from your browser. Nothing you search is stored on this site; your recent parcels are kept only in your own browser and can be cleared at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Is a screening result a zoning verification?
No. It is a first read based on the city's GIS and the district table above. A zoning verification letter from the City of Stuart, and advice from a land-use attorney, are needed before relying on any figure.
Does administrative approval mean automatic approval?
No. It means staff approve the project without a hearing if it complies. The project still has to meet the city's site plan, stormwater, landscaping, building code and other requirements that the Act doesn't preempt.
My application was filed before 1 July 2026. Which rules apply?
HB 1389 lets applicants who filed before 1 July 2026 proceed under the earlier version of the statute or amend their application to use the 2026 changes.
Why does the tool say my parcel is outside the city?
The tool screens only parcels in the City of Stuart's zoning layer. Parcels in unincorporated Martin County fall under the county's code and the parallel county provision, F.S. 125.01055.
Why are two density figures shown?
Stuart's highest by-right density is 20 du/ac, but the Comprehensive Plan allows up to 30 du/ac through PUDs and Major Urban Code Exceptions. The statute excludes bonus, variance and special-exception densities, and whether PUD densities fall in that group is unsettled. The tool shows both so the reading is explicit.
Why is the evacuation zone a "check" rather than a firm answer?
The public statewide layer dates from the 2013 evacuation studies. Zones may have changed, so confirm with Martin County Emergency Management's current map.
Statute and sources
- F.S. 166.04151, Florida Senate (2025 statutes; read with the 2026 amendments)
- SB 102 (2023), the Live Local Act
- SB 328 (2024)
- HB 1389 (2026)
- 2026 summaries: Holland & Knight, Bilzin Sumberg, Becker, Carlton Fields