(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Critics pan affordable housing measure that bans local rent controls [1] ['Mitch Perry', 'More From Author', '- February'] Date: 2023-02-08 A $711 million affordable housing package designed to address Florida’s affordable housing crisis was met with disapproval and ire by housing activists on Wednesday — they said the measure’s provision to ban local governments from enacting rent controls won’t help alleviate the problem. The ‘Live Local Act’ (SB 102) sponsored by Miami Republican Alexis Calatayud, proposes a multitude of strategies to address the state’s affordable housing situation, but the portion that forbids rent control under all circumstances irked many citizens and advocates who spoke about the proposal at the Senate Community Affairs meeting. The measure was passed unanimously by the bipartisan committee, despite the criticism. “This is the future trajectory for what we believe is appropriate for Floridians and what is going to focus on providing successful, attainable, affordable units,” Calatayud told the committee. “The future of Florida in providing accessible, affordable units to our workforce is not rent control, the future is this constellation of policies that is forward looking and can prove to be some of the most innovative housing policy in the country.” Rental prices have soared in Florida’s biggest metro areas over the past two years, and public officials and citizens in those regions say that it’s another factor in making the state more expensive to live in. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins praised the legislative proposal, saying that it includes much of what Miami-Dade has already done to address the issue. She says that the county has moved their workforce housing program to 140% of Area Median Income (AMI) to keep middle-class workers like nurses and police officers in the area and encouraged the bill sponsor to do the same in the legislation. Currently the bill defines ‘affordable’ as income up to 120% of AMI, or approximately $94,000 for a family of four. However, several other citizens who testified said that the AMI in the bill should be lowered to make more people with lower-incomes eligible. “People who make 80% and less of AMI also are part of the workforce and also have the highest need for affordable housing units,” said Letitia Harmon, with the group Florida Rising. Several speakers blasted the removal of allowing local governments to ban rent control measures. “Nearly half of all renters in Jacksonville are cost burdened because of their rent, meaning that they pay over 40% of their income on rent alone,” said Kyle Mitchell, a veteran. “This isn’t happening because we’re running low on homes. It’s happening because greedy corporations and real estate investors are buying them all up and turning them into rentals.” Jane West, the policy and planning director of the group 1000 Friends of Florida, said her group wasn’t advocating one way or another for rent control, but in the case of an emergency such as a hurricane, “those local leaders should have the discretion to do what their constituents want.” While debates took place in several Florida cities last year for city councils and/or county commissions to put rent stabilization measure on the ballot, the only local government to do so last year was Orange County. The measure ultimately passed with 59% support, but it has not been implemented as real estate industry groups are legally challenging it. “We represent 80,000 union members in Orange County,” said Rich Templin, director of politics and public policy with the Florida AFL-CIO. “These are people who have collective bargaining agreements. They go to work every day. Sometimes, two or three shifts a day. Sometimes two or three different jobs a day. They cannot find housing. And this is something that has to happen immediately. Which is why the county commission worked with stakeholders across the community, to get this to the ballot.” But Central Florida Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur placed blamed on the Orange County government for its lack of affordable housing. “Orange County only lets large scale land use transmittal twice a year, whereas 65 other counties do it every day. Why is it that we’re artificially constraining development in Orange County, vs. everywhere else?” he asked. Brodeur added that the answer to correcting the housing problem – at least in Orange County – was relatively simply, saying that once the housing supply goes up “all those profit margins that everybody is raging against is going to come right back down to market levels. And we’re going to have plenty of supply, and it’s going to be market rate.” The committee passed the bill unanimously, though South Florida Democrat Lori Berman said she continued to have concerns about removing the rent control portion of the bill. The bill now moves to the Appropriations Committee in the Senate. The full House and Senate must approve the measure, and Gov. Ron DeSantis would have to sign it. 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