Page 52 - LIN March-2023 50-84-sent

Affordable

Housing Solutions

HAVES AND HAVE NOTS

OF COLLIER COUNTY

by Joe Trachtenberg,
Chairman of Collier County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee It is generally accepted that Collier County has a growing

f you’re a Florida resident and a homeowner shortage of over 10,000 units of affordable workforce housing.
in Collier County, you’ve undoubtedly seen Currently 48,000 county employees are forced to live outside our
Iyour property value grow, while you enjoy county, in the absence of affordable apartments here, and commute
the stability that homeownership provides. You up to 3 hours daily.
even benefit from homesteading which caps the There was once a time in our country when either owning or
increase in your assessed value each year, assuring renting were rational ways of living. We all grew up one way or the
your property taxes remain under control. other, and both approaches worked. There was an expectation at
If you’re a renter, like the vast majority of each lease renewal, the landlord would be fair in considering his
our essential workers, the odds are stacked against you. The State of cost increases as he decided what the new rent would be. Today’s
Florida has declared rent controls of any kind illegal. Landlords are consideration is typically how much can I charge, without any
free to raise rents however much they wish. It’s just a matter of time consideration to the economic burden this might place on an
before you will face calamity. otherwise acceptable tenant.
The fact is, home ownership is simply out of reach to nearly Often people rented while they accumulated sufficient
all of our teachers, nurses, deputies and other essential workers. money for a down payment on a home - that was called THE
Renters live at the whim of landlords in a market where prices are AMERICAN DREAM. Sadly that dream is dead, at least in
exploding. Collier County.
Until recently Collier County imposed a requirement upon Today the dream is replaced by the nightmare - what’s my
landlords, to provide at least sixty days notice (when the lease was landlord going to do when my lease expires!
silent) for an impending rent increase of more than 5%. In recent We all understand landlords need to cover their costs and make
years where we have routinely seen increases of $800, $1000 or a fair profit on their investment. Today those rules are out the
more per month, the purpose was to allow tenants an assurance window. Greed prevails, and renters suffer the consequences.
of some time to find a new apartment to rent. Often this requires We live in the state of Florida which prides itself on
relocating children to a new school, and sometimes finding a new perpetuating freedom. Wonderful for landlords; for tenants it means
job. you’re free to pack your stuff and try to find a new place to live.
This initiative was first introduced in Miami/Dade in March There are some among us who deny there is a workforce housing
2022 and adopted by other counties and cities (including the City crisis in our midst. I’ve learned there’s a simple way to test this, if
of Naples) as a mere act of decency. In January 2023 the Collier you’re interested.
Board of County Commissioners reversed the ordinance by a 4-1 Ask any service provider you run into, in a restaurant, healthcare
vote, using the argument it represented government overreach and facility, supermarket, office - - - where do they live, how far do they
imposed too great a burden on landlords (who were subject to fines commute, and if they’re worried what happens when their current
of up to $500 for failure to give notice - which was never imposed). lease expires? I guarantee you’ll quickly learn what out future will
Some Florida counties, seeing the need to advance affordable look like, as we continue to lose these essential workers.
housing in their regions are changing zoning regulations, adding Then it will be too late to do something about it. There is an
density allowances, modifying impact fee requirements and even affordable housing crisis in Collier County and it’s getting worse.
allocating ad valorem taxes for this purpose. This isn’t happening in We can change this, as some other counties in Florida are now
our county, where luxury apartment construction is booming but doing. But only if we care about it, and insist our elected officials
little attention is being paid to workforce housing needs. make some changes.

52 Life in Naples | March 2023