CS/SB 102 (Calatayud) and HB 627 (Busatta Cabrera) are comprehensive housing bills that sunset after 10 years. Of interest to municipalities:  

Funding and Tax Credits

•The bills propose over $700 million for affordable housing programs including $252 million for SHIP, $259 million for SAIL and $100 million for the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program.

•The bills create a new Live Local Corporate Tax Donation program for taxpayers to donate funds directly to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) for the SAIL program in return for tax credits against corporate and insurance liability tax.

Affordable Housing Tax Exemptions

•HB 627 authorizes municipalities to provide property tax incentives for developments that serve households at 50% AMI or below.

•CS/SB 102 was amended to authorize municipalities to provide property tax incentives for developments that serve households at 60% AMI or below. The bill also now gives local governments the ability to deny or revoke exemptions based on multiple code violations.

Zoning and Land Use

•The bills preempt municipalities’ regulation on zoning, density and height for certain multifamily affordable housing developments in commercial areas and prohibit any local government from enacting rent control.

•The bills also require municipalities to post an inventory of lands appropriate for affordable housing on its website. (Branch)