"I’m damn happy it’s in there, but I’m not declaring victory yet."
In a late-session maneuver, the state legislature has exempted a large swath of environmentally sensitive Central Florida land from a law that encourages development of affordable housing — a move taking aim at a controversial planned Seminole County apartment building near the Wekiva River.
The new protections for the Wekiva Study Area, unanimously approved last week and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for review, are among a series of revisions to the groundbreaking Live Local Act, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.
Adopted in 2023 as a response to the state’s shortage of affordable and workforce housing, the Live Local Act requires cities and counties to approve multifamily development projects in areas already zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed-use if at least 40% of the units meet guidelines for moderate-income households. The bill also created lucrative tax exemptions for developers and landlords who agreed to keep their rents below market rate.
But since its passage, local governments and housing developers have squared off over the details.
Read more at the Orlando Sentinel