Florida condos are struggling. Could they be redeveloped?
It’s a tough time to be a condominium owner in Florida. New standards for building safety coupled with skyrocketing insurance rates have made condo life prohibitively expensive for some. At properties facing millions of dollars of repairs, owners are contemplating whether their homes are worth saving. Florida law requires approval from 80% of owners to terminate a condo association, but just 5% can block it. Many associations have higher thresholds, with some requiring 100% approval. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Advocates call on churches to help homeless with affordable housing. A new law may help
The Florida legislature this year passed Senate Bill 1730, which allows local governments to approve affordable housing on certain land owned by religious institutions, regardless of zoning restrictions. It’s known as the “Yes-in-God’s-Backyard” (YIGBY) policy, and it was added to the existing House Bill 1339 as a tool for affordable housing that has been around since 2020. More from the Pensacola News Journal and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Major homebuilder sees surprising signs of life in troubled Florida housing market
A major homebuilder has reported recent gains in Florida, marking a surprising turnaround in the state after several years of slowing sales and falling prices. PulteGroup, the third-largest homebuilder in the nation, said that net new orders in Florida rose 2% last quarter compared with a year earlier. “We’re really happy with what we saw out of Florida,” PulteGroup President and CEO Ryan Marshall told investors on a call last month. [Source: Realtor.com]
Live Local developers flocking to Florida city to build workforce housing
Developers relying on Florida’s Live Local Act are lighting up Fort Lauderdale with requests to build. So far, eight projects are in the pipeline, with more likely on the way under a developer-friendly law designed to get more affordable housing built in a state known for soaring rents. Three projects have already received approval from City Hall staff, records show. Five more are under review. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida builders argue manatee protections threaten housing development
Saying the case has “significant implications for home construction and the economy,” home builders and the septic-system industry this week backed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in its appeal of a federal judge’s decision that required additional steps to protect manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon. The Florida Home Builders Association on Monday urged the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza that included placing a moratorium on constructing and installing septic tanks around the northern Indian River Lagoon [Source: News Service of Florida]
179
Gables Estates in Miami is the most expensive neighborhood in the U.S. It features 179 mostly waterfront lots averaging 56,240 square feet in size. [Source: Business Insider]
› Does new Miami law allow high-rises next to one-story houses? It’s complicated
A fast-track, far-reaching plan by Miami officials to encourage development of high-rise housing clusters for a mile around transit rail stations, already set to become law, has stirred up alarm from residents worried about its potential to transform vast swaths of the city. In late July, Miami city commissioners unanimously approved the complex new zoning strategy, which goes by the unwieldy denomination of Transit Station Neighborhood Development, or TSND, barely a month after its release to a surprised and bewildered public.
› Robles Park, Tampa’s oldest public housing, will be demolished next month
Robles Park Village, Tampa’s oldest remaining public housing, will be torn down next month to make way for an $800 million master-planned community years in the making. The demolition is scheduled for Sept. 15. Since 1954, Robles Park Village provided low-cost housing for some of Tampa’s poorest families.
› Kissimmee’s last hurrah? Sprawling Hilliard Isle slated to begin in early 2026
An enormous master-planned community in Kissimmee is moving closer to construction after years of effort, driven by Puerto Rico’s largest mall developer in its entry to the Florida market. The company, Empresas Fonalledas, has spent $70 million through its affiliate, Plaza Lakes LLC, over the last two decades assembling the nearly 900 acres along Simpson Road for the community known as Hilliard Isle. Pulte has been involved as the homebuilding partner for the project since 2022 and has secured zoning entitlements for the mixed-use development with a marina on East Lake Toho.
› After years of setbacks, key piece of South Seas redevelopment can begin
With the rezoning approved, the owners of the South Seas resort on Captiva can begin the biggest portion of its redevelopment, the construction of two hotels and residences. A group of residents says it will appeal the Lee County Commission’s decision to approve the rezoning.