Housing prices and rents continue to rise across Florida. Thursday, a group of community leaders and advocates gathered in Bradenton to discuss Manatee County’s ongoing affordable housing crunch at an event sponsored by the Manatee Tiger Bay Club.
Nationwide, an average wage earner would need to spend 32.7 percent of his or her income to buy a median-priced home. But for Manatee residents, that figure is 46.3 percent.
Denise Thomas is the Housing and Community Development Coordinator for Manatee County. She said the spectrum of affordable housing covers a large area, from the homeless to millennials and seniors.