TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Housing affordability is the number one issue among voters across the Sunshine State. A new University of North Florida poll shows that 34% of those asked say housing and insurance costs are the most important problems facing our state.
Florida lawmakers are working on finding solutions. State senators approved a proposal Tuesday requiring local governments to adopt an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, in single-family neighborhoods.
“ADUs increase workforce housing because ADUs cost less to build, they are less to rent, and are often located in urban areas where workers need to live to be closer to their jobs,” Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, said.
ADUs can be a wide range of things, from a mother-in-law suite to a guest house. Gaetz is pushing the proposal that’s getting bipartisan support, and it won’t cost the state any money.
Many cities already have ordinances on the books regulating ADUs. However, many are worried about how these ADUs would affect vacation rentals. The proposal doesn’t currently specify if an ADU needs to be a long-term rental.
“We don’t want to exacerbate the problem those areas, those very real problems that those areas are experiencing through ADUs,” Rebecca O’Hara, Florida League of Cities council, said.
Gaetz made changes to his bill during Tuesday’s committee hearing, and he is expecting more changes as the proposal moves through the process
O’Hara said in the end, they don’t want it to be too much of a burden for local governments.
“We do recognize the value of accessory dwelling units as an additional means of providing low and moderate-income people a place to live,” O’Hara said.
This proposal also requires a study to look at how tiny homes can be used to help with Florida’s housing needs.
This bill will have two more committees before going before the full Senate. There is an identical version in the Florida House, but it hasn’t moved yet. The regular session begins on March 4.
