SB 48 Is Dead: Pinellas ADU Hosts Must Navigate City-by-City Rules in 2026

If you have been banking on Florida forcing every city to approve your ADU without a public hearing or variance, that plan is gone. SB 48 died in House messages on March 13, 2026, and with it went any hope of a unified statewide standard for accessory dwelling unit permitting. For short-term rental hosts in Pinellas County who operate out of ADUs, or who are planning to build one, the rules are now entirely local, and they differ block by block depending on which city your property sits in.

What SB 48 Would Have Done, and Why It Failed

SB 48 had real momentum. It passed the Florida Senate 38-0 on February 4, 2026, with the central goal of requiring every city to allow ADUs "by right," meaning no public hearing, no variance, no neighbor veto. That would have been a significant win for hosts looking to add a rentable unit to a single-family property without running a political gauntlet at city hall.

But the bill collapsed in the House, with disagreement over short-term rental provisions cited as the breaking point. The result is that the Florida Statute that allows but does not require local governments to adopt ADU ordinances remains the governing framework. Cities are free to do what they want, and in Pinellas County, they are doing very different things.

The City-by-City Reality Hosts Are Now Stuck With

St. Petersburg is the most host-friendly jurisdiction in the county for ADU permitting. The city allows ADUs by right in eligible single-family residential districts following its 2022 code expansion. The size cap is 800 square feet or 67% of the primary residence's livable area, whichever is less. The city also provides an address-based verification tool so you can check eligibility before spending money on design work. That predictability matters, but hosts should note that parking requirements apply, and a parking exemption is only available for properties near qualifying public transportation.

Gulfport is a different story. The city did not have a defined ADU ordinance until 2026, when the City Council unanimously approved one on June 16, 2026. The ordinance sets an 800-square-foot maximum ADU size and requires owner occupancy in one of the two units. Because the ordinance is brand new, review procedures are still developing. Hosts and builders should confirm requirements directly with the city before finalizing any permit package.

Largo regulates ADUs under Section 16.14 of its Development Code. One notable provision: ADUs do not count toward the maximum density per acre, which can matter during zoning analysis. Largo also offers a municipal grant program that may provide up to $8,000 to eligible homeowners, though that does not affect whether a project can be permitted. Utility connection requirements may also add documentation beyond a standard construction plan set.

Kenneth City and Dunedin are the murkiest situations. Kenneth City lists "Accessory Dwelling" as a separate permit category and operates under an interlocal agreement with Pinellas County, but no publicly available city-specific ADU standards covering setbacks, maximum size, or design requirements have been confirmed. Dunedin likewise does not currently have a distinct ADU ordinance that can be verified through public records. For both cities, the only safe move is to contact the planning department directly before committing any design hours.

What This Means If You Are Operating or Planning an STR in an ADU

The collapse of SB 48 has a direct practical consequence: there is no shortcut. Every ADU project in Pinellas County must be evaluated against the specific rules of the city where the property sits. The documents required, the setbacks, the parking rules, the utility hookup requirements, and even whether a pre-application meeting is expected can all vary. An ADU that would sail through permitting in St. Petersburg might hit a wall in Gulfport or face an unknown process in Dunedin.

For hosts already operating an STR inside an ADU, the fragmented landscape also means that compliance in one city does not translate to another. St. Petersburg, for instance, requires primary residence on the property, and short-term rental filings inside city limits go through the non-emergency police line and City Code Enforcement, a process that is entirely separate from county-level regulations that apply outside city boundaries.

What to Do Right Now

• If your property is in St. Petersburg, use the city's address-based verification tool to confirm ADU eligibility before spending on design or engineering.
• If your property is in Gulfport, contact the planning department directly. The new ordinance is less than a year old and review procedures are still being established.
• If your property is in Largo, ask about the grant program early, and confirm utility connection documentation requirements before finalizing your plan set.
• If your property is in Kenneth City or Dunedin, do not assume any standard applies. Verify everything with the local planning department before any design work begins.
• Do not assume SB 48 or any other pending legislation will bail you out. The bill is dead, and no successor has been signed into law.

For the complete St. Petersburg compliance guide including tax calculator, checklist, and daily monitoring, see St. Petersburg, FL STR Regulations.