Florida § 171.044 - Voluntary annexation.

§ 171.044. Voluntary annexation.

(1) The owner or owners of real property in an unincorporated area of a county which is contiguous to a municipality and reasonably compact may petition the governing body of said municipality that said property be annexed to the municipality. (2) Upon determination by the governing body of the municipality that the petition bears the signatures of all owners of property in the area proposed to be annexed, the governing body may, at any regular meeting, adopt a nonemergency ordinance to annex said property and redefine the boundary lines of the municipality to include said property. Said ordinance shall be passed after notice of the annexation has been published at least once each week for 2 consecutive weeks in some newspaper in such city or town or, if no newspaper is published in said city or town, then in a newspaper published in the same county; and if no newspaper is published in said county, then at least three printed copies of said notice shall be posted for 4 consecutive weeks at some conspicuous place in said city or town. The notice shall give the ordinance number and a brief, general description of the area proposed to be annexed. The description shall include a map clearly showing the area and a statement that the complete legal description by metes and bounds and the ordinance can be obtained from the office of the city clerk. (3) An ordinance adopted under this section shall be filed with the clerk of the circuit court and the chief administrative officer of the county in which the municipality is located and with the Department of State within 7 days after the adoption of such ordinance. The ordinance must include a map which clearly shows the annexed area and a complete legal description of that area by metes and bounds. (4) The method of annexation provided by this section shall be supplemental to any other procedure provided by general or special law, except that this section shall not apply to municipalities in counties with charters which provide for an exclusive method of municipal annexation. (5) Land shall not be annexed through voluntary annexation when such annexation results in the creation of enclaves. (6) Not fewer than 10 days prior to publishing or posting the ordinance notice required under subsection (2), the governing body of the municipality must provide a copy of the notice, via certified mail, to the board of the county commissioners of the county wherein the municipality is located. The notice provision provided in this subsection may be the basis for a cause of action invalidating the annexation.