Who runs this site
Central Florida ADU Authority is written and maintained by Andy West, a Marion County resident and healthcare software implementation analyst. I live in Ocala, at the northern edge of the nine counties this site covers, and I spend an unreasonable amount of time driving south to permit offices in Orange, Seminole, and Polk to verify the rules I publish. I have spent the last several years watching friends, family, and neighbors try to make sense of the region’s housing market, and I have spent a lot of time personally reading zoning code. It is a strange hobby, but it turns out to be a useful one as Florida restructures its housing laws in 2026.
I am not a licensed contractor, architect, or attorney. I do not sell ADU construction services and I am not affiliated with any builder. What I am is a careful researcher who lives in the market I write about, and who reads primary sources before publishing anything.
What we cover
The site focuses narrowly on nine counties: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Polk, Volusia, Brevard, Marion, and Sumter. These are the counties most Central Florida homeowners actually live in, and they are the counties I can realistically visit, call, and verify rules for.
Every jurisdiction page summarizes the local ordinance, the permit process, and the realistic cost and timeline. We cover the state legislative picture too: the 2026 ADU preemption bill (SB 48) did not become law, and the post-mortem explains why that matters for what happens in the 2027 session.
How we verify
Every rule cited on this site traces to a primary source: the county code, the state statute, or a direct call to the permit office. We date every page with the last verified date. When a rule changes, we update the page and note the change.
We do not use AI to generate rule text. AI tools are useful for structure and drafting, but county codes are too consequential to paraphrase without a human checking every number against the ordinance. If you find a rule that looks wrong, email us and we will check it within 48 hours.
How we make money
This site carries a modest amount of display advertising and includes affiliate links to tools we use and recommend (ADU design software, financing calculators). We also maintain a vetted directory of local builders, permit expediters, and lenders. When we refer business to a directory partner we may be compensated, but our inclusion criteria are disclosed and partners have never been able to buy placement in our editorial content.
You can read the full disclosure policy for specifics.
Contact
Email: hello@centralfloridaadu.com
We read every email. We do not sell your address and do not run a marketing newsletter. The newsletter we do run is a short monthly update on Florida ADU legislation and local ordinance changes. Opt in only if that fits what you are following. Unsubscribing takes one click.
— Andy