NOTE from APTAWEB: The following article by Bruce Ritchie reports on today’s Florida Cabinet meeting. This is an initial report; additional information will be printed in Wednesday’s Tallahassee Democrat.

WCTV also had a reporter at the meeting so look for coverage on Channel 6 as well.

Governor Jeb Bush and the Cabinet today complied with environmentalists' requests to maintain some growth rules in Franklin County until the county's growth plan complies with state law.

Don and Pamela Ashley said they hope the Cabinet's action will lead Franklin County to reconsider the 2005 approval of 3,440 homes on St. Joe Co. land.

The Cabinet refused to follow staff's recommendation to adopt a recommended order that more narrowly defined the actions that Franklin County must take. Gov. Jeb Bush was the only Cabinet member to vote against the action.

Franklin County for now is required to keep existing rules requiring that future land-use changes be analyzed in eight key areas including their impact on natural resources, affordable housing and economic development.

Cabinet staff said it was OK for the county to delete those policies because they were not required by state law. A St. Joe representative told the Cabinet that including the policies would prolong the legal fight in Franklin County.