Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) says people should be able to live near their work. She unveiled a plan Thursday called the “Live Local Act.”
The goal is to encourage developers to build more mixed income communities by offering more tax exemptions and loan programs. Passidomo says the plan would mean, teachers, law enforcement and nurses could live closer to their jobs.
“Think about this: there’s a hospital on the corner next door is a vacant strip center. Wouldn’t it be great if we could revitalize it, renovate it, build rental apartments so the nurse who works at the hospital can walk to work instead of driving an hour and a half to work and leave her kids at home," Passidomo said.
The proposal would also make it easier to redevelop commercial properties into residential housing. It earmarks $150-million in new recurring dollars for the State Apartment Incentive Loan program, or SAIL, which gives developers loans to build affordable housing units. And the proposal creates a tax donation program that gives businesses the ability to donate up to 100-million dollars annually in corporate tax or insurance tax premiums for workforce housing.
Passidomo unveiled her plan Thursday alongside Senator Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) who will carry the measure through the legislative process.
