“If they want to do our job, they can come and do it,” Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla said. “It seems like they don’t want us doing anything and they’re not helping either.”
Florida’s Republican-Led, Nearly Unanimous Housing Reforms
“What’s happening right now is not the way renting has traditionally been done. We now have these huge corporations that are buying up all these rental properties, even single-family homes,” Bonilla says. “They don’t have any connection with people or their tenants. It’s just about how much money they can make their shareholders.”
Florida’s local elected officials worry state preemption bills could ‘chill’ local policymaking
“As Floridians weather the worst affordable housing emergency of our lifetimes, our state legislature has filed multiple bills that will make it even harder for local governments to help our communities keep a roof over their heads,” said Orange County commissioner Emily Bonilla.
Legislature must stop interfering with local efforts to lower rent
“Meanwhile, the human toll from Florida’s escalating housing emergency is already staggering. More than a quarter of voters polled said they had recently experienced homelessness due to skyrocketing housing costs, or near homelessness such as being forced to sleep in their car or on a friend’s couch. Housing instability profoundly affects our lives, families, communities, and economies. If state lawmakers aren’t going to do something about it themselves, they should at least stop interfering with local efforts to address this crisis,” said Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla.