ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Changes could soon be coming to Florida’s Live Local Act, after lawmakers approved updates aimed at speeding up affordable housing construction, expanding where projects can be built, and limiting local restrictions that have slowed developments.
For people like William Kilgore, who delivers for Uber Eats across St. Petersburg, keeping up with rising rents has meant longer hours and more reliance on credit cards just to get by.
“It takes a toll on people,” Kilgore said. “I rarely spend money on anything. I don’t travel. You know, don’t spend money on nice stuff, clothes. Go out to eat. Maybe get a slice of pizza or two and a beer every once in a while, but that’s about it.”
Lawmakers passed House Bill 1389 in the final days of the legislative session. The bill aims to build more affordable housing faster by limiting local zoning restrictions that have slowed projects down.
The changes expand where developers can build, including on government-owned land and property owned by religious institutions like churches, as long as a portion of units are set aside as affordable for at least 30 years. The law also locks in tax breaks for developers by tightening or removing local governments' ability to opt out.
Supporters say the updates reduce red tape and help increase supply in a state still short on affordable units. According to the Florida Housing Coalition dashboard, roughly 6,700 affordable units are already under construction thanks to the Live Local Act.
However, Kilgore, an organizer with the St. Petersburg Tenants Union, worries the changes won’t help the people who need it most.
“The tricky thing with affordability is — affordability for whom? It’s a subjective term,” he said. “Live Local Act — all it is is just a big handout for developers.”
Without deeper reforms and greater public control, he says, many working Floridians will continue to struggle to keep up.
Governor Ron DeSantis now has the choice to sign, veto, or let changes to the Live Local Act become law without his signature. If the bill becomes law, the updates would take effect on July 1.
'Suspicious' house fire leaves 1 woman dead, 1 hospitalized in Coquina Key: SPPD
A woman is dead, and two others were hospitalized after a fire broke out at a home in the Coquina Key area on Sunday, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue (SPFR).
