ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A proposal from Orange County District Five Commissioner Emily Bonilla to freeze rent prices did not pass a vote Tuesday and won’t move forward to a public hearing.
Bonilla was asking the other members of the board to approve a special public hearing to take place on June 30, in order to get a rental increase freeze on the November ballot.
If the proposal makes it to the ballot, Bonilla said it would go in effect for a year. She said the freeze would only allow for landlords of rentals consisting of three units to increase rent equal to a property tax increase.
“Everyone is struggling right now and I keep hearing stories of people who have lost their jobs. They are struggling to pay their rent. A lot of people right now are paying their rent with credit cards,” Bonilla said ahead of the vote.
The proposal failed to move forward to a special public hearing after a 5-2 vote. The proposal needed approval from 6 out of 7 commissioners to move forward.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings voted against the proposal saying there wouldn’t be enough time to have lawyers look at the proposal and to get input from both sides. He said he didn’t want to rush the proposal onto the ballot and wants to explore other possible options.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office told News 6 on Monday that the decision on whether to extend the eviction moratorium past the July 1 deadline is still “under review.”