As Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks a second term, USA TODAY Network-Florida looked at how the governor has tackled some of the state’s most pressing pocketbook issues.
Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has been prescient about the industry's collapse. He believes there needs to be an"emergency task force" convened immediately in the wake of Ian to address Florida's insurance problems before they worsen.
At the same time, the cost of building materials increased along with land values and many builders have struggled to find enough workers, all of which has contributed to higher housing costs and an inability to meet demand.Working with the Legislature, DeSantis established a $100 million “Hometown Heroes” assistance program this year to help police officers, teachers, health care professionals, military members and veterans pay for a down payment on a home.
But the bill also slashed in half the amount of funding that flows into the affordable housing trust funds from taxes on real estate transactions. So while the $338 million is substantial, it’s only half of what would have been collected for affordable housing without the cap, and still below the peak of $442 million devoted to state housing programs in 2006 when the trust funds had a higher cap.
Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest electric utility and one of the largest in the nation with 5.6 million customers, received approval last year from the state Public Service Commission for a massive base rate increase that will cost consumers nearly $5 billion over the next four years. The company says higher rates are needed to upgrade its infrastructure and pay for more clean power projects, but critics say the increase gives FPL an excessive profit margin of 10.
Kelly said FPL received “near about everything they were asking for” from the PSC during the recent rate case. He believes the profit margin the company was granted is unjustified. As for the bill DeSantis signed that forced Kelly out by putting a term limit on the public counsel job, Kelly said it’s not hard to see why the utilities wanted him gone.
“It primarily is a supply-and-demand issue,” Harradine said. “That’s what the market will bear, so they’re going to find somebody who can pay that much.”Florida subsidizes the construction of low-income apartment complexes through a program known as SAIL — State Apartment Incentive Loan — which receives funding from the state’s affordable housing trust funds.
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