December 2018 Archives
EDITORIALS
Editorial: We have ideas how state can spend windfall
December 30, 2018 | Charlotte Sun
Talk about a Christmas present!
How would you like to be Governor-elect Ron DeSantis and learn the state will likely have a tax windfall of an extra $365 million to spend your first year in office?
That happened recently when it was announced that state revenue collections during the fiscal year that began July 1 are running about $365.1 million ahead of projections. Sales tax collections are $173.5 million ahead and corporate income tax is running about $126 million more than expected.
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Extra money? What are state’s priorities?
Dec 22, 2018 | Highlands News-Sun
Talk about a Christmas present!
How would you like to be Governor-elect Ron DeSantis and learn the state will likely have a tax windfall of an extra $365 million to spend your first year in office?
That happened recently when it was announced that state revenue collections during the fiscal year that began July 1 are running about $365.1 million ahead of projections. Sales tax collections are $173.5 million ahead and corporate income tax is running about $126 million more than expected.
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OUR VIEW: Housing needs demand attention
December 9, 2018 | The Daytona Beach News-Journal
If workers can’t find affordable, safe housing, they might not stick around. Local real-estate prices are booming. Local wages aren’t. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem confronting people who work low-paying, demanding jobs in Volusia and Flagler counties, but can’t really afford to live here.
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Put affordable housing back on the agenda | Opinion
December 3, 2018 | Tallahassee Democrat
The mid-terms are over and our newly elected leaders in Tallahassee and Washington D.C. are ready to get to work. It’s time for them to concentrate on an issue that is of the utmost importance for our society: affordable housing.
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OP-EDS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The lack of affordable housing has an impact on a family’s health — a negative one
December 26, 2018 | Miami Herald
This is the time of year to reflect on our blessings and think about the struggles of those who are less fortunate. As housing costs in Miami-Dade continue to skyrocket, too many around us are unable to find quality, affordable housing. It’s a challenge that exposes them to health hazards and limits their ability to meet other basic needs, including access to healthcare.
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NEWS ARTICLES
Sarasota group hosts holiday potluck for the homeless
December 23, 2018 | By Carlos Munoz
SARASOTA — The Sarasota-based street project, Streets of Paradise, hosted a holiday for the homeless on Sunday afternoon at Five Points Park. They hope to make the event a more common occurrence to aid those in need.
Homelessness in the city has dropped 18 percent since the Sarasota City Commission adopted the Florida Housing Coalition’s Homeless Crisis Response System in April of 2017, according to a Department of Housing and Urban Development survey. That includes a 26 percent drop in homeless veterans
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Orlando-area rents rising faster than any other big city
December 20, 2018 | Orlando Sentinel
Home and apartment rents in Metro Orlando are rising faster than any other major city in the country, according to a report released Thursday by Zillow.
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Florida’s tax revenues boom as budget runs $365 million ahead of projections
Tampa Bay Times | By: News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — With an unexpected surge in sales-tax and corporate income-tax collections, analysts on Tuesday projected a significant increase in state revenue over two years.
If the revenue projections hold, it will ease the financial pressure on incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he prepares his first budget recommendation, and on the Legislature, which must pass a 2019-2020 state budget when it meets in the spring.
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State’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund Has Become More Theory Than Practice
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
Like everywhere in Florida, Hillsborough County has a lack of affordable housing. The issue has grown more acute due to a growing population, deep federal cuts to subsidized housing programs, and stagnant wages.
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Agencies Struggle To Help Low-Income Renters Find Affordable Housing
December 16, 2018 | WJCT, WUSF
Hurricane Irma did a number on Earlene Kelly’s home last year. Part of the roof on her Tampa home was ripped off, screens were torn to shreds and sections of the fence had fallen.
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Hillsborough’s Housing Crunch: Searching For Solutions
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
Back in October, hundreds of Hillsborough County residents packed the pews of Tampa’s First Seventh Day Adventist Church. It was an interfaith gathering of congregations, all members of the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE). People chatted and a choir led the group in singing hymns, but before too long, they got down to business.
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Why Are We Building Luxury Homes In An Affordable Housing Crisis?
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
With Hillsborough County in the midst of an affordable housing crunch, developers continue building luxury homes and apartments, especially in Tampa’s trendy neighborhoods and downtown. Despite a growing demand for more affordable single-family homes and rentals, private developers aren’t building them.
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Homeownership Programs Help Renters Find Stability
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
For many people struggling to afford rent in Tampa, owning a home could provide more space, more stability and sometimes even a lower monthly cost. But a lot of them don’t believe home ownership is within their reach.
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Housing Instability Creates Challenges For Families, Educators
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
Public education is supposed to be the great equalizer. And while it’s easy to focus on teachers and curriculum as the engines behind a student’s success, housing instability also affects learning. Frequent school moves in childhood can impede academic and social development, research shows.
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Hillsborough’s Growing Senior Population Needs More Affordable Housing
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
On a recent afternoon, 71-year-old Milton Malphus walked into the community room of his senior apartment building to get some lunch. Sporting a flat-rimmed hat, basketball sneakers and a T-shirt covered in pineapples, Malphus said he dresses as young as he feels: 17.
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How We Got Here: Hillsborough County’s Growing Housing Affordability Crisis
December 16, 2018 | WUSF
High above downtown Tampa, giant construction cranes tower near what will become the city’s newest offering in luxury living.
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Miami-Dade delegation hears pitches on housing, environment, education
December 8, 2018 | Florida Politics
Members of the Miami-Dade legislative delegation were on hand Friday to hear pitches from the community ahead of the upcoming 2019 Legislative Session.
And while a diverse set of voices were heard, the issues of housing, education and the environment were touched on throughout the meeting.
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Sarasota City Commission adopts new affordable housing methods
December 7, 2018 | Herald Tribune
The commission approved recommendations from affordable housing experts in an effort to create more workforce housing in the area.
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Affordable housing a top focus at St. Johns County Legislative Delegation meeting
December 7, 2018 | The St. Augustine Record
Members of the St. Johns County Legislative Delegation heard from about 30 speakers on Friday morning, most of whom asked for funding or other legislative help.
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