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TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Attorney General’s Office argued in a recent letter that rural boundaries in Seminole and Orange counties are “likely” unconstitutional and violate property owners’ rights, seeming to side with developers who want the protections nullified.

The opinion, issued two days before Thanksgiving, came at the request of Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, who specifically asked about Seminole and Orange counties’ rural boundaries, which limit high-density growth in those areas. He did not ask about Lee County, which he represents and doesn’t have a designated rural boundary.

“The blanket property restrictions on rural landowners in Seminole and Orange counties could very well constitute a regulatory taking under Federal and

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