Pembroke Pines, FL Cannabis Regulations: Dispensary Zoning (2026)
Key Facts
- Dispensary status
- Prohibited citywide
- Legal basis
- F.S. § 381.986(11) municipal opt-out
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 2021-02, adopted March 17, 2021
- What's banned
- Dispensing facilities only, not patient use
- General penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 90 days (§ 10.99)
Summary
Pembroke Pines prohibits medical marijuana dispensing facilities everywhere within city limits. Section 155.516 exercises the opt-out authority Florida gives municipalities under F.S. § 381.986(11), with the City Commission finding a citywide ban on medical marijuana treatment center dispensaries is in the city's best interest.
§ 155.516 MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSING FACILITIES. Medical marijuana dispensing facilities shall be subject to the following standards and regulations: (A) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to prohibit medical marijuana treatment centers created under Art. X, § 29 of the Florida Constitution from establishing medical marijuana dispensing facilities within the municipal limits of the city. (B) Findings. Based on authority granted to municipalities in F.S. § 381.986(11), the City Commission finds that a ban on the establishment of medical marijuana treatment center dispensaries within the city is in the best interest of the city. (C) Prohibition. Medical marijuana dispensing facilities are prohibited within the boundaries of the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-61: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2056, passed 12-11-25).
Full Breakdown
516, adopted as part of the Land Development Code by Ord. 2021-02 on March 17, 2021, states its purpose is to prohibit medical marijuana treatment centers created under Art. X, § 29 of the Florida Constitution from establishing medical marijuana dispensing facilities within the municipal limits of the city. 986(11), the state provision that lets each municipality decide for itself whether to allow dispensing facilities rather than imposing one statewide rule; Pembroke Pines used that authority to adopt an outright prohibition rather than a zoning-district restriction.
516(C) states the operative rule in one sentence: medical marijuana dispensing facilities are prohibited within the boundaries of the city. Because the ban targets dispensing facilities, meaning the retail storefronts a licensed medical marijuana treatment center would otherwise operate, the ordinance does not reach patient possession or use of medical marijuana, state-licensed cultivation, or delivery of product from a dispensary located outside the city; those remain governed by state law rather than this section.
Violations & Fines
The LDC does not set a distinct fine for § 155.516; establishing a prohibited dispensing facility is an unlawful use under §§ 155.542 and 155.543, subject to the citywide general penalty in § 10.99, up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued operation a separate offense under § 10.98(B), and the city may also pursue nuisance abatement under § 10.98(A).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a medical marijuana dispensary open in Pembroke Pines?
Why did Pembroke Pines ban dispensaries instead of just zoning them somewhere?
Does the ban stop patients from using medical marijuana in Pembroke Pines?
When did this ban take effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pembroke Pines
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pembroke Pines to another location·View the Florida cannabis regulations overview
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