The Affordable Housing Crisis Impacts All of Us! We must fight for the community our residents and businesses need and deserve!
Rising property values combined with out-of-control skyrocketing property insurance premiums and housing stock shortages have created a true existential crisis for our economic vitality as a region.
This affects everyone in our city -- renters and owners alike as well as our local businesses entrepreneurs who are looking to hire and maintain a strong worker force. Sadly, rising prices and increasing insurance premiums are making the “American Dream” of homeownership seem out-of-reach for first time homebuyers.
Making matters worse, for 20 years the Florida legislature raided the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund – taking $2 BILLION that was supposed to be dedicated for affordable housing. Thankfully that has stopped but now we have lost time, money and leverage.
It is almost too big for any one city or county. But, the bigger the fight, the harder we must fight … and fighting for smart and responsible affordable housing we want is a fight worth winning.
As a City, we have begun approving affordable housing strategies to streamline smart and responsible development. We must keep our property taxes low and stable, provide services to our residents at low and even discounted rates, and work with our regional partners to invite smart and affordable development.
We must dedicate time, funds and property to help facilitate these communities.
We must recognize that responsible affordable housing developers face a complex web of tax credits, incentives and property stock which slows the process of building viable and quality new affordable housing we want in our community. So, we must be there to help with incentives and assurances they will be open on time.
Let’s keep fighting for affordable housing – our economic vitality is at stake and our families, residents, workforce and businesses deserve nothing less.