Evictions

When tenants face eviction from a mobile home park, they are often at risk of losing their own property, too. One Dade City woman shares her story.

Researchers linked information from 38 million eviction court filings to demographic data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to create the most comprehensive snapshot to date of the population facing eviction.

National legal aid organization Legal Services Corporation says 40% of the cases it closed last year were related to housing issues -- a record for any one type of case. The numbers reflect the same in Central Florida.

Experts say that the cost of avoiding eviction can be just as damaging as an eviction itself. There's also no guarantee that landlords won't use an eviction hearing against renters in the future.

When landlords push renters out without using the court — in what’s called an informal eviction — there’s often no way to track it.

More than 1,500 renters were evicted in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in March. That’s a 26 percent jump compared to January of 2020, according to data from the Eviction Lab.

In 2023, the rate of eviction has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

In Tampa and St. Petersburg, evictions are continually concentrated in the urban core, according to data analyzed between 2000 and 2016.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury announced the reallocation of $690 million in unused rental assistance funds to communities in the greatest need.

In the last year, the greater Tampa Bay region experienced an influx of new residents, record-high inflation and the devastating impacts from Hurricane Ian. One real estate attorney in Pinellas says this could mean a tough year ahead for renters and homeowners.

Almost half of all callers, or 370 people, were seeking rental assistance. Another quarter of callers, or 214 people, called for help finding an affordable rental unit or home to purchase.

It hopes to help spread awareness about the housing affordability crisis with the dashboard, which will be updated regularly.