Zoning is a system of land use controls exercised by the government, often through the permitting process. It is intended to regulate the use of land and to mitigate the impacts of land development upon adjacent and surrounding uses. Zoning regulation and zoning ordinances fall under the police power rights that local governments such as Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach County, may exercise over real property, such as the location and design of privately constructed office buildings, retail centers, historic buildings, and residential and commercial developments. The police power exercised by cities and other government agencies often comes into conflict with private property rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Florida Constitution, as well as civil liberties provided by state and federal law intended to protect people such as those with addiction disabilities from discrimination in housing.
