Unaffordable housing
Residential rental rates have increased by more than a third in some parts of the state, according to a recent study from Florida TaxWatch.
In a report released Thursday, the budget watchdogs analyzed the accelerated demand for rental properties in Florida and rising prices since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The report comes amid concerns about inflation and the lack of affordable housing in the Sunshine State.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said the rising cost of everyday items has pervaded the housing market, leaving would-be homebuyers with renting as their only viable option. In turn, and together with workforce migration from other states, the rental market is facing excessive pressure.
“While Florida is known for its robust job creation and low-tax environment, affordable housing is understandably a major concern for many, and it threatens to undermine the state’s continued economic recovery and ultimate success,” Calabro said. “Leaders and decision-makers should heed this warning and adapt as appropriate to ensure all who call — and hope to call — the Sunshine State ‘home’ can thrive here.”
The median rental prices hit $2,420 for one-bedroom and $3,220 for two bedrooms in the Miami metro area, 34% increases from February 2021 to February 2022. In the Orlando area, prices jumped to $1,630 — a 25% increase — for one-bedroom and to $1,910 — a 35% or 36% increase — for two bedrooms.
Prices have remained the steadiest in the Jacksonville and Tallahassee areas. In Tallahassee, the median price hit $900 for one-bedroom — a 12% or 13% increase — and $1,050 for two bedrooms — a 15% increase. In Jacksonville, those values hit $1,170 for one-bedroom and $1,380 for two bedrooms, both 15% increases.
“Especially for young professionals, being priced out of certain markets may lead to outbound migration from the state over time,” according to the report. “And since the pandemic has shown that where one works and where one lives can be different, this may further incentivize movement to more affordable regions in the U.S.”
The Legislature’s budget proposal, as drafted at the end of Session this month, includes $362.7 million for affordable housing programs. Affordable housing should have received more state aid, Democrats contend.
Rep. Fentrice Driskell, a Tampa Democrat, said the affordable housing crisis is a problem that has been brewing for years that Republicans need to own up to.
“The Republican-led Legislature has been derelict in its duties,” Driskell said. “The Republican-led Legislature has turned its back on Floridians that need affordable housing.
Homeowners and renters in August also faced the end of the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. TaxWatch said Florida hasn’t experienced an influx of evictions yet, but didn’t rule out that it could still be on the horizon. However, Driskell said lawmakers have already started to field calls from constituents facing evictions.
“Even on a constituent service level, that’s been a growing concern,” Driskell said.
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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado, Christine Jordan Sexton, Tristan Wood and the staff of Florida Politics.
Take 5
But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:
DeSantis proclaims Emma Weyant swimming champ — Gov. Ron DeSantis has named Sarasota native Emma Weyant the new 2022 NCAA women’s swim champion in the 500-yard freestyle. Weyant, competing with the University of Virginia, was the runner-up to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas is the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship, setting off a frenzy among conservatives and people questioning whether a transgender woman should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. “By allowing men to compete in women’s sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud,” DeSantis tweeted. “In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota’s Emma Weyant as the best women’s swimmer in the 500y freestyle.”
FDP cancels Disney convention over ‘parental rights’ bill — The Florida Democratic Party announced it has postponed the annual Leadership Blue conference after numerous members, particularly from the LGBTQ+ Caucus, threatened to boycott the weekend-long event. The Walt Disney Company has been under the gun for leadership’s initial stance to not publicly oppose Florida’s “parental rights in education bill” (HB 1557) and past donations to the bill’s supporters. “We have heard the feedback regarding our Leadership Blue weekend, including conflicts with Pride Month, Juneteenth and Father’s Day events, all of which we intended to honor,” Party Chair Manny Diaz said in a news release. “Our timing was not ideal. We also acknowledge that in our fight for freedom and fairness, we can always do more.”
DeSantis approves ‘curriculum transparency’ legislation — The Governor signed into law legislation (HB 1467) parents and others a mechanism to purge texts they don’t like from classrooms. Additionally, it will impose School Board term limit requirements statewide. The bill, which DeSantis touted as a “curriculum transparency” measure, will require school districts to list all library and instructional materials in use in an online database with a multistep adoption process, including a mandatory public hearing with public comment. It also requires elementary schools to hire a Department of Education-trained media specialist to curate materials while compelling school districts to report materials and books that draw public objections. DOE would then publish the list to guide content management decisions, including withdrawing texts deemed objectionable.
Lobbyist veto campaign flood begins — Now that the 2022 legislative Session is over the 2022 veto push is on. Unable to modify or stop bills they didn’t like, associations now are turning to DeSantis as a last-ditch effort to kill bills they don’t like and spending items they don’t agree with. AARP Florida, Equality Florida and the National Federation of Independent Business Florida are asking the governor to veto policy legislation. The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops wants DeSantis to veto a budget item, $2 million in recurring funds for long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Senate President Wilton Simpson included the funding in the Department of Health budget. It’s the second time Simpson has put money for contraception for low-income women in the budget. Simpson in 2022 called LARC a “healthy” part of an anti-abortion agenda. But the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops sees things differently. It swayed DeSantis to veto the funding last year and is hoping to repeat its success again this year. A spokesperson for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said the veto request was being written.
DeSantis signs student financial literacy bill — Ninth graders will soon have to take a financial literacy course in order to graduate. Under the new law (SB 1054), which will apply to ninth graders beginning in the 2023-24 school year, schools must develop an elective class for personal literacy and money management. The law is named the “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act” in honor of the late Sen. Dorothy Hukill, a teacher who championed financial literacy education before she died in 2018. The new law “is really providing a foundation for students that’s going to be applicable in their lives regardless of what path they take,” DeSantis said before signing the bill into law.
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