Florida Florida Statutes

§ 171.031 — Definitions

FS § 171.031Ch. 171

Statute text

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings unless some other meaning is plainly indicated:(1) “Annexation” means the adding of real property to the boundaries of an incorporated municipality, such addition making such real property in every way a part of the municipality.

(2)“Compactness” means concentration of a piece of property in a single area and precludes any action which would create enclaves, pockets, or finger areas in serpentine patterns. Any annexation proceeding in any county in this state must be designed in such a manner as to ensure that the area will be reasonably compact.

(3)“Contiguous” means that a substantial part of a boundary of the territory sought to be annexed by a municipality is coterminous with a part of the boundary of the municipality. The separation of the territory sought to be annexed from the annexing municipality by a publicly owned county park; a right-of-way for a highway, road, railroad, canal, or utility; or a body of water, watercourse, or other minor geographical division of a similar nature, running parallel with and between the territory sought to be annexed and the annexing municipality, may not prevent annexation under this act, provided the presence of such a division does not, as a practical matter, prevent the territory sought to be annexed and the annexing municipality from becoming a unified whole with respect to municipal services or prevent their inhabitants from fully associating and trading with each other, socially and economically. However, nothing in this subsection may be construed to allow local rights-of-way, utility easements, railroad rights-of-way, or like entities to be annexed in a corridor fashion to gain contiguity; and when any provision of any special law prohibits the annexation of territory that is separated from the annexing municipality by a body of water or watercourse, then that law shall prevent annexation under this act.

(4)“Contraction” means the reversion of real property within municipal boundaries to an unincorporated status.

(5)“Enclave” means:(a) Any unincorporated improved or developed area that is enclosed within and bounded on all sides by a single municipality; or

(b)Any unincorporated improved or developed area that is enclosed within and bounded by a single municipality and a natural or manmade obstacle that allows the passage of vehicular traffic to that unincorporated area only through the municipality.

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