Affordable housing bill moving in the Florida legislature
FORT LAUDERDALE - On Wednesday, Florida Senators unanimously approved what has been dubbed the "Live Local Act" (SB 102), which includes providing incentives for investment in affordable housing and seeking more mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas.
Inez Camacho likes nothing better than relaxing on her new apartment front porch, listening to her wind chime and watering her plants, "it's a Godsend," she says of her good fortune.
Her new building Poinciana Crossing is located about a mile south of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
It's one of several new affordable housing units that have opened in Broward.
Only nine months ago, Camacho was on the verge of leaving South Florida. Her old unit's rent in Kendall had gone up and it was getting harder to make ends meet.
"I didn't see this happening. I looked at other parts of Florida and they weren't affordable anymore," she says.
Camacho pays $1,400 a month. Rare to find in Broward, where rents can average $3,000 a month.
"We are the least affordable county in the state and one of the least affordable counties in the nation," says Walter Duke.
Duke, former mayor of Dania Beach, is a real estate appraiser and is on the Broward Workshop Housing Subcommittee and chairs the Fort Lauderdale Alliance Affordable Housing pillar.
We met him at Poinciana Crossing, which he helped bring to life.
"We are a service based economy and if we don't have good clean places for workers to live, it puts us at a disadvantage with our neighbors," he says.
He explained the problem this way:
He says 50 percent of the workforce lives at 60 percent of the median income, which means they can afford about $1,200 a month in rent, but when the rent is $3,000 a month that leaves an $1,800 shortfall the average worker can't make up.
"400,000 people moved here last year. If they can't find housing they will find other places to work."
State lawmakers are on their way to passing an affordable housing bill this session in Tallahassee, championed by Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and Miami Republican Senator Alexis Calatayud.
The bill highlights include:
- Housing costs won't exceed 30 percent of someone's pay
- Converting existing buildings into affordable housing
- Relaxing rules on density and height
- Offering tax breaks for developers
And the most controversial proposal is to bar rent control.
Duke looks at the bill favorably, "It's fun to see both sides of the aisle work together."
Even with all the construction on affordable housing, Duke says it is a long process to right the ship. He believes it will take ten years.
