A Miami official wants the city to take a swing at Florida’s Live Local Act, which would put it in the ring alongside other localities that are punching back at the developer-friendly law.
City Commissioner Damian Pardo sponsored a measure to instruct the city attorney to find ways to challenge the law’s validity and authorize him to pursue legal action, the South Florida Business Journal reported.
Florida’s Live Local Act, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, offers tax breaks and zoning incentives to developers that build projects with below market-rate housing. It’s a controversial law that has supporters celebrating its expansion of “workforce housing,” while opponents argue it undermines local officials by allowing developers to skirt the rules, the outlet said.
Miami isn’t alone in challenging the Live Local Act. The City of Hollywood won its lawsuit against Condra Property Group in March, possibly opening a loophole in the law. Hillsborough County sued the state the same month, claiming the law violated the Florida Constitution.
Earlier this month, two developers and a church sued Sarasota County for attempting to block Live Local projects.
Miami should welcome housing initiatives without ignoring its responsibility to protect residents from development pressures, Pardo said in a statement to the publication.
He also said the city will continue to advocate for housing solutions that benefit local communities rather than policies that “override local planning” and “undermine neighborhood character.”
Commissioners will vote on the measure at a meeting Thursday.
More than 200 Live Local Act projects have been proposed this year, but fewer than 20 have started construction. About 55 percent of the proposals come from South Florida.
Florida’s affordable housing crisis is a hot topic among developers and policymakers navigating the state’s housing shortage.
Over 900,000 low-income renters in Florida spend more than 40 percent of their income on housing, according to the UF Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. The center also found the state faces a shortage of over 660,000 affordable and available rental units for households earning below 60 percent of the area median income.
— Grace McClung
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