Alternative kinds of housing like shipping containers and tiny houses are quickly growing in popularity. Could they help relieve some of the pressure from the affordable housing crunch? WUSF’s special report “Growing Unaffordable” has been looking at people in Hillsborough County who are finding it harder and harder to find a home they can afford.…
Delray Beach CRA has recently approved its new budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020. With its new budget, Delray Beach CRA plans to focus on revitalizing infrastructure, affordable housing and commercial office space in the Delray Beach community. The CRA has committed to fund and modify the Delray Beach traffic circulation system, enhance pedestrian safety and…
SENIOR PLANNER $55,587 (DOE) The City of Sebastian is accepting applications for a Senior Planner with Engineering background. Applications will be accepted until position is filled. DESCRIPTION: Under general supervision of the Community Development Director or designee, the incumbent’s principal function is to perform professional planning work applying professional standards to planning, zoning, permitting, research,…
Florida Community Loan Fund has finalized the closing on New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing for the YMCA of South Florida. FCLF provided $17 million in NMTC allocation for the new LA Lee / Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale. Replacing an aging building that had increasing repair expenses and no room for expansion, the…
Affordable housing advocates are pleased to hear Governor Ron DeSantis is proposing to dedicate all of the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund to affordable housing in his budget proposal. Over the years, state lawmakers have tapped into housing funds created to provide revenue for affordable and workforce housing and reallocated millions of dollars…
Canal Street is a great street in the great downtown area in New Smyrna Beach. In 1980, as the area was experiencing a lot of change, population was about 12,000 and growing. They were making four lanes out of State Road 44 and the Burger Chef at U.S. 1 and West Canal Street had just…
State housing advocates on Tuesday gathered in Tallahassee to call on the Florida Legislature to use all state and local housing trust fund monies for affordable housing. The Sadowski Coalition is made up of 32 statewide organizations, including industry and business groups. Jaimie Ross, president of the Florida Housing Coalition, said that for more than a decade, lawmakers have tapped…
There are now two free ride services in downtown Delray Beach. The fixed route and on demand transportation options are funded by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and will be replacing the Downtown Roundabout Trolley. The new initiative is called Connect Delray Beach. Freebee offers point to point rides in their easy to spot,…
Hillsborough County Commissioners Wednesday took a step toward creating its first dedicated source of money for affordable housing. It comes after other money has been repeatedly diverted from a state housing fund. The move wouldn’t create a dedicated trust fund, which supporters had pushed for. But the vote does direct Hillsborough County to try to find $10…
In a 4-3 vote on Monday, Palm Beach County Commissioners approved the creation of a CRA within the Village of Palm Springs. Village Manager Richard J. Reade stated, ” As you can imagine, we are so pleased with this result and each of these County Commissioners showed real leadership through a very difficult process. Now,…
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…
As more and more Floridians turn away from homeownership in favor of renting, the state is facing a serious shortage of apartments. Numbers from the Florida Apartment Association show that the state would need to add over 600,000 new apartments by 2030 to keep up with both the rising population and the increased demand. “We have over…
