The Reluctant Developer

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ALICE in Florida

Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay sometimes feels like he’s running “a training ground for police.” Young recruits come to work in the Florida Keys, but too many leave for other jurisdictions after a few years, unable to afford a place to live even with salaries starting at $58,689.

Monroe County is Florida’s most expensive for fair market rent, the National Low Income Housing Coalition says. It takes a salary of nearly $81,000 to afford housing, and in Key West some 41% of residents are at the United Way’s ALICE threshold or below.

“Paradise,” Ramsay says, “is not cheap.”

But its residents and its visitors need effective policing, and in times of crisis, they need immediate response. So Ramsay, in his 11th year as sheriff, spends a lot of his time finding places for his deputies and other staffers to live.

He turned some available space inside Monroe County’s jail in Key West into a 40-bed bunkhouse. More than half of his detention deputies live in Miami-Dade, more than three hours north in the lightest traffic. The bunkhouse provides them with private sleeping quarters, separate showers for men and women, a kitchen, a TV room and a gym. A second bunkhouse has room for 34 people during hurricanes and other around-the-clock circumstances. A gun range in Marathon similarly has 80 cots for post-hurricane housing and a backup generator.

But the biggest change is due in June, when a 24-unit apartment building featuring 16 one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units, opens on Trumbo Road overlooking Key West Harbor. It won’t cost taxpayers a dime, Ramsay says. Developers of the neighboring Steam Plant condominium, with units that sell for $3 million, are paying for construction.

A public-private partnership ensures Ramsay can earmark the units for his people. Key West police and firefighters can apply for any unleased units ensuring it is “truly a first responder complex.” The Steam Plant people benefit by controlling who becomes their neighbors — and Ramsay agreed to reduce the number of units and ceded design and landscaping decisions to them to seal the deal. “I’m having do things no other agencies are having to do,” he says. “I don’t want to be in the construction business. But if I don’t do it, who else is going to do it?”

The Legislature’s Challenge

• THE PROBLEM:

Florida became the fastest-growing state in the nation during the pandemic, and it will continue to grow. The influx of hundreds of thousands of new residents exacerbates Florida’s housing shortage and contributes to skyrocketing costs. As a result, Florida non-profits that traditionally serve the poor and the working class are noticing a new trend: an increasing number of people with stable jobs turning to them for help. “We’re seeing more families coming to us looking for housing solutions. There aren’t enough dollars left in the month,” says Tim Marks, CEO of Metropolitan Ministries, which houses and feeds needy people in Tampa. Longtime volunteers compare it to the Great Recession of 2008-2009 — with one big difference. “In ‘08 and ‘09, we could find affordable housing solutions because landlords were begging for tenants,” Marks says. “These days, it’s a different story.”

• 2023 LEGISLATIVE ACTION:

The Live Local Act, provides tax credits and clears out zoning hurdles for multifamily housing builders as long as at least 40% of the units go to people making up to 120% of the area’s median income. In addition, the Sadowski Housing Trust has $402.685 million for housing assistance, funded by documentary stamp taxes.

• THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION:

Since the Live Local Act only took effect July 1, major changes are not expected although local governments are looking to regain more authority. A proposed tweak to the tax credit portion may expand to cover the whole property. Another consideration may be tax incentives to help keep landlords from turning away from residential leases to vacation rental businesses. “Anything that keeps landlords in the game” helps, says Scott Pridgen, executive director of AH Monroe, an affordable housing non-profit. DeSantis has proposed a collection of property and sales tax cuts to lower housing costs as well as new funding for homebuyer programs in his 2024-25 budget.

How much can workers afford to pay for housing each month?

$500-699

• Cashiers
• Farmworkers
• Laundry / Dry-Cleaning Workers
• Home Health / Personal Care Aides
• Waiters / Waitresses
• Janitors
• Maids / Housekeepers
• Childcare Workers
• Retail Salespersons
• Preschool Teachers
• Hotel Desk Clerks
• Security Guards
• Hairdressers

$700-899

• Nursing Assistants
• Receptionists
• Landscapers / Groundskeepers
• Cooks
• Substitute Teachers
• Customer Service Reps
• Office Clerks
• Pharmacy Technicians
• Construction Laborers
• Tellers
• Veterinary Technicians
• Dental Assistants
• Painters
• Medical Assistants

$900-1,200

• Administrative Assistants
• Light Truck Drivers
• Mental Health / Substance Abuse Social Workers
• Truck Drivers
• Auto Mechanics
• Roofers
• Carpenters
• Paramedics
• Licensed Practical Nurses
• Social Workers
• Plumbers / Pipefitters
• Electricians

Source: Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida; Florida Department of Economic Security. Based on median wage for occupations in Broward County. Assumes full-time worker, 30% of income spent on housing costs.

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