With hopes high for an adult-use vote this fall, the Florida Legislature advanced a bill to limit where new dispensaries can set up shop.
House Bill 1053, which unanimously cleared committee on Thursday, proposes to increase the minimum distance required between cannabis cultivation, processing, and dispensary centers from the existing 500 feet to 1,500 feet, while also extending the buffer zone from K-12 schools to daycare centers, churches, and post-secondary educational institutions.
Sources in the state told Green Market Report that the implications of such a modification are far-reaching, as it imposes far stricter zoning regulations than those currently in place. The rules could derail plans for numerous applicants set to launch operations in the state this July.
More specifically, the expansion of proximity rules would severely impact site selection for new applicants and even newer license holders who are in the process of expanding their retail presence, especially in densely populated areas.
“It’s going to be hard pressed, especially in populated areas, to find locations,” said Matthew Ginder, a partner in the cannabis law practice group at Greenspoon Marder.
According to Sally Peebles, a Jacksonville-based attorney with Vicente, the bill would particularly affect the slew of new licensees looking to