Florida Democrats call on Gov. DeSantis to do more to address ‘affordable housing crisis’

Florida lawmakers and Jacksonville-area residents are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to do more to address what economists call an “affordable housing crisis.”

High demand and short supply, along with other factors, have resulted in exploding mortgage rates for homeowners and renters.

Florida gained national popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became the fastest-growing state, according to US Census Bureau statistics. While being a popular state is good, it has also resulted in high mortgage costs and rent prices. One lawmaker said now that more people than ever are here, the state needs to make sure they can afford to live here.

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″What can we do now? Because Floridians need relief now, people need relief now, it’s impacting everyone, again, not just young people but young people, working families, our seniors,” said US Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat.

Frost on Wednesday urged his fellow lawmakers in Tallahassee to turn their focus to addressing the high price of living in the Sunshine State. He wants his colleagues and DeSantis to champion new legislation that will take some of the financial stress off of having a roof over your head.

Economic experts at Florida Atlantic University found that renters across the state could be faced with inflated costs, possibly for years to come, because of low housing inventory and an influx of new residents. Buying a home has also become an expensive investment with the average home value coming in just under $389,000, according to Zillow.

Lawmakers said insuring a home has also become unaffordable for some families.

“The problem is not just insurance, it’s the cost of living, and I hope that Governor DeSantis, who now has a lot more free time on his hands, will focus on this issue that’s damaging and hurting Floridians,” Frost said.

Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, has also been pushing for new laws to address affordability issues.

″If we are going to solve the solution, it can’t just be the state is dictating what must happen. Yes, the state needs to provide the resources that we need to expand affordable housing, but there also has to be a collaboration to ensure we are tailoring what the community needs,” Eskamani said.

News4JAX asked residents what they’ve experienced.

″I remember 15-20 years ago, a house could cost 100 thousand dollars and now it’s 350 thousand dollars, so it’s a wow,” said homeowner Liliana Garcia.

“It is a crisis and not only does it affect us economically it affects us Healthwise and with mental health, you know you have a lot of families struggling now even with both parents working, you see things go up, but the wages don’t go up,” said Yesenia Williams.

During last year’s legislative session, DeSantis signed the Live Local Act into law, which invested $711 million in multiple programs designed to expand the availability of housing and downpayment assistance. Lawmakers on Wednesday said that the program helped, but said they are hearing from their constituents that they need to do more.

MORE: Gov. DeSantis signs bill aimed at addressing affordable housing crisis in Florida

″I do not have a lot of confidence that the US Congress is going to put something forward on the floor to fix this problem, it’s a lot of the reason I’m here,” Frost said.

The Live Local Act that was signed into law last year by the governor also gives tax breaks to developers who create multifamily and mixed-use residential properties. As for Rep. Frost’s question today, about what more can done now during this legislative session… We are waiting to hear back from the governers office.

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