"The Live Local Act" joins a growing list of GOP-backed bills that have gotten to Gov. Ron DeSantis in record time.
Senate Bill 102 cleared the house floor in a near-unanimous vote and with a $711 million price tag. The proposal, championed by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, increases state funding for affordable housing projects and tries to cut red tape for those projects locally. Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud of Miami thanked fellow lawmakers ahead of the bill’s passage.
"I’d like to thank each member that has spent their time contributing to the conversation around affordable housing and what we’re going to do to make sure that our workforce can live locally," he said.
Republican Representative Demi Busatta Cabrera of Miami-Dade also voiced her support.
“Our live local act is a market-driven combination of policies that provides attainable housing options for Floridians at every income level and stage of life,” said Cabrera. "The foundation of this legislation is our great respect for the dignity of work and the value of family life.
The measure bans local municipalities from passing rent freezes, something some Democrats have promoted as part of the effort to address inflation in housing. The bill also expands home-loan assistance for Florida’s first responders and certain workers deemed “essential.”
