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LIVE BLOG: Updates on Hurricane Milton

Tampa Bay residents share experiences of finding new homes in a pricey market

A for rent sign in Palo Alto, California. Across the country rents are on the rise, in part due to a historic shortage of homes either to rent or buy.
Paul Sakuma
/
AP
A for rent sign in Palo Alto, California. Across the country rents are on the rise, in part due to a historic shortage of homes either to rent or buy.

As the region sees explosive growth, rents and home prices continue to soar.

Housing is becoming harder and harder to afford in the Tampa Bay area. On this week's Florida Matters, we continue our look at housing affordability.

As the region sees explosive growth, residents are dealing with soaring rents. Others are finding it difficult to buy a home.

We’ll hear from Tampa Bay residents sharing their experiences in a tough rental market. Our producer, Dinorah Prevost, spoke with all of them over Zoom.

One of those residents is Emily Lane. Now a Manatee County resident, she was forced to leave her Sarasota apartment. She moved to Bradenton to stay within her tight budget and be closer to her job.

Emily Lane of Bradenton

Later on in the show, WUSF’s Bradley George talks with Tom DiFiero, a housing attorney with Bay Area Legal Services. The regional legal aid group operates in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties and helps tenants resolve issues with their landlords, avoid eviction and stay in their homes.

You can listen to all the resident postcards George's conversation with Tom DiFiero by clicking on the “Listen” button above. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”

Hi there! I’m Dinorah Prevost and I’m the producer of Florida Matters, WUSF's weekly public affairs show. That basically means that I plan, record and edit the interviews we feature on the show.
Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
Bradley George was a Morning Edition host and reporter at WUSF until March 2022.