ORLANDO, Fla. – The city of Orlando on Monday joined the growing number of county and city governments opting out of a state law that is supposed to bring more affordable housing to communities.
The Orlando City Council voted to opt out of the Live Local Act, joining the governments of Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties, as well as the city of Winter Park.
On Monday night the city of Oviedo in Seminole County will also consider whether to opt out.
The Florida Legislature passed the law and Gov. DeSantis signed it in 2023. It gives real estate developers local tax exemptions of up to 75% if they set aside at least 70 units in a development for affordable, middle-class housing.
However, more city governments say the act does almost nothing to bring down the monthly cost of rent. One city official we spoke to says while the goal of the law is admirable, the broad-stroke approach of the act also does not take into account how communities of different sizes could be affected.
The law also allows developers to build in parts of a community that were never zoned residential, without getting city approval.
The tax breaks from the act also hit the local governments, with no state funding to make up for the loss.
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