Lawmakers push to make fixes to a signature law on affordable housing in FL

State lawmakers are pushing for fixes in a signature law designed to help Florida’s affordable housing crisis, acknowledging there’s been some criticism and concerns from local officials that would need adjustments.

The “Live Local Act” was the signature policy issue of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo last year, and the $711 million project was quickly approved during the 2023 legislative session. But since it went into effect in July, there’s been complaints about various aspects of the law that have rippled throughout the state.

“As we know [in] the passage of large and complex legislation, lessons learned during implementation highlight the need for minor adjustments. That’s what this bill does,” Miami-Dade County Republican Alexis Calatayud, the Senate sponsor or the Live Local Act, said earlier this week when introducing her new bill (SB 328) to address some of the criticisms. “We received feedback from many parties over the interim as the implementation of the bill commenced and we’ve identified necessary enhancements to effectuate the original intent of the legislation and further the goal of increasing the workforce inventory.”