The 1996 Revised Florida Administrative Procedure Act: A Survey of Major Provisions Affecting Florida Agencies

Abstract

This Article examines the recent history of APA reform in Florida and surveys several provisions of the 1996 revised Florida APA that are likely to have a major effect on agency governance. Part II of this Article briefly reviews the recent history of regulatory reform in the state of Florida. Part III discusses an interesting innovation in Florida's 1996 APA revisions that governs agency waiver of rules and is designed to make agency decisionmaking more flexible. Part IV addresses three new provisions in Florida's APA meant to make rulemaking more accountable. Despite the many major changes from the status quo in the 1996 APA revisions, Part V concludes, on a skeptical note, that it will only be a short matter of time before Florida revisits the issue of APA reform.