On April 7th, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the Live Local Act, also known as SB 102, which injects $711 million into affordable housing over the next decade. This bill redirects certain tax revenue toward affordable housing and offers incentives to developers of affordable housing projects. It also fully funds the state’s Sadowski Housing Trust Fund, which was created in 1992 to provide affordable housing assistance.
While the bill has been praised by developers as the largest ever support for housing in state history, some advocates argue that it doesn’t go far enough to help the typical Floridian struggling to pay rent. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that Florida is short more than 440,000 affordable housing units, and this bill may only result in up to 25,000 new units designated as affordable.
One of the primary concerns of advocates is that the bill strips local governments of control over certain affordable housing projects and outlaws local rent-control ordinances such as the one Orange County considered last year. This has led to fears of displacement of current residents and worries that the bill only rewards landlords who raised rents.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voted against the bill primarily because it curtails local control, although she applauded the additional funding. Cynthia Laurent, a housing justice campaigner with nonprofit Florida Rising, agreed that the bill doesn’t meet the needs of service workers and other low-wage employees in the state, leaving out a large swath of the population that keeps the economy going.
However, advocates for the bill argue that the incentives for developers are the only way to build enough affordable housing units to make a difference. Wendover Housing Partners, a builder of affordable properties, worked with lawmakers during the creation of the law and said that everything they had hoped for in this bill was ultimately in the version that passed.
In addition to funding the Sadowski Housing Trust Fund, the bill changes zoning laws to allow developers to build apartments in commercial and industrial areas as long as 40% of the units are affordable. The intent is to allow the transformation of vacant strip malls and shopping malls into housing, according to Kody Glazer, policy director for the Florida Housing Coalition.
While the Live Local Act is a step in the right direction for affordable housing in Florida, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to alleviate the housing crisis in the state. Advocates for affordable housing will continue to push for more funding and protections for renters, especially for those who are most vulnerable to displacement and homelessness.