Plantation, FL Attorney

Two districts, one city. The Old Plantation Water Control District describes itself as providing surface water management for about 10,000 acres in Plantation under Chapter 298, Florida Statutes. The Plantation Acres Improvement District is a separate special district with its own charter. Its status recently changed: the district reports that its voters approved conversion to a dependent district of the City in a June 23, 2026 special election, 404 to 397, with the Mayor and City Council serving as its governing board from October 1, 2026 (HB 4067, Chapter 2026-215).

Read the whole tax bill. The Old Plantation district says its annual assessment is collected by the Broward County Revenue Collector as a non-ad valorem line on the property tax bill sent each November, and that it is based on land area. It publishes the current per-acre figure, so check that rather than a seller’s estimate. Under Fla. Stat. 197.3632(8)(a), non-ad valorem assessments collected by that statute’s uniform method are subject to tax certificates and tax deeds for nonpayment. Our Q&A on liens when selling a home explains how unpaid taxes and certificates are handled at closing, and our page on seller disclosures covers the disclosure summary for a home in a mandatory homeowners’ association.

The bank behind a canal lot. According to the same district, the land between a canal and your property line is District right-of-way used for maintenance access, and residents must keep it clear of obstructions. It treats drawing lawn irrigation water from a canal as trespass on that right-of-way. It also issues permits for various construction. If you plan a fence, a shed, or a pool on a canal lot, get a current survey and ask the District and the City what is required first.

Plantation Acres. The City’s land development code covers the Acres with the RS-1EP zoning district, with a 35,000 square foot minimum plot. The code’s three-pet cap for other residential lots does not apply there; domestic animals there are governed by Section 27-105(d). Confirm the current rules with the City’s Planning and Zoning Department before you buy.

The half-acre homestead limit. Article X, Section 4(a)(1) of the Florida Constitution protects a homestead inside a municipality to the extent of one-half acre of contiguous land, limited to the residence of the owner or the owner’s family. Outside a municipality the figure is 160 acres, and it cannot be reduced without the owner’s consent because the land is later brought into a city. A half acre is 21,780 square feet, so a lot at the RS-1EP minimum is larger than the limit. This protection against creditors is separate from the property tax homestead exemption. An Acres owner facing a judgment or considering bankruptcy should not assume the whole lot is covered; the deed, a survey, and the property’s history should be reviewed first.

Plantation deeds are recorded by Broward County’s Records, Taxes and Treasury Division rather than the Clerk of Courts. Documentary stamp tax on a deed is 70 cents per $100 of consideration (Fla. Stat. 201.02), with no equivalent of the surtax that applies to some Miami-Dade transfers. Florida law does not require an attorney to close a sale; read title company or attorney closing, how we handle residential closings, how a title search and title insurance work, and our real estate law services.