Florida Statutes 420.502 – Legislative findings
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It is hereby found and declared as follows:
(1) The costs of developing, operating, and maintaining multifamily rental housing have increased substantially and have thereby contributed to the new construction of such units being less than that necessary for an adequate supply; the conversion of apartment units to condominiums has also contributed to this condition, and the availability of rental housing has become a significant problem in the state.
(2) There exist presently and periodically serious economic dislocations in the construction and building trade industry, resulting in substantial unemployment, business losses, and bankruptcies, a general deterioration of the economic well-being of Florida residents, and a need to assist and implement welfare-to-work transitioning initiatives to coordinate with state and federal policies.
(3) One major cause of these conditions has been periodic shortages of funds from private sources and failures due to disintermediation in the federal system of financial intermediaries, which shortages have contributed to reductions in construction of new residential housing and have made the sale and purchase of existing residential housing a virtual impossibility in certain parts of the state.
(4) There also exists a serious shortage of decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the state available to persons and families of low, moderate, and middle income, which impairs the economic value of larger areas, characterized by depreciated value, impaired investments, reduced capacity to pay taxes, and lack of new development to meet the needs of area residents, and which is a menace to the health, safety, morals, and welfare of the citizens of the state.
(5) It is necessary to create inducements and opportunities for private and public investment in such activities in this state with appropriate planning, land use, and construction policies necessary for the public welfare.
(6) A stable supply of adequate funds for housing financing is required to encourage the construction and reconstruction of new and rehabilitated housing in an orderly and sustained manner and, thereby, to meet the shortage and reduce the results thereof.
(7) It is necessary to create a state housing finance corporation to encourage the investment of private capital in residential housing through the use of public financing to deal with the problem of disintermediation, to stimulate the construction and rehabilitation of residential housing, to facilitate the purchase and sale of existing residential housing, to provide construction and mortgage loans for projects, and to make loans to and purchase mortgage loans from private lending institutions, each on a quantifiable, measurable basis providing sufficient, clear evidence of the corporation‘s goals and its success in achieving the goals.
(8)(a) It is necessary to create new programs to stimulate the construction and substantial rehabilitation of rental housing for eligible persons and families.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 420.502
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Corporation: means the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Eligible persons: means one or more natural persons or a family, irrespective of race, creed, national origin, or sex, determined by the corporation pursuant to a rule to be of low, moderate, or middle income. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Essential services personnel: means natural persons or families whose total annual household income is at or below 120 percent of the area median income, adjusted for household size, and at least one of whom is employed as police or fire personnel, a child care worker, a teacher or other education personnel, health care personnel, a public employee, or a service worker. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgage: means :(a) A mortgage, mortgage deed, deed of trust, or other instrument:1. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Residential housing: means one or more new or existing residential dwelling units located or to be located in the state, including any buildings, land, improvements, equipment, facilities, or other real or personal properties which are necessary in connection therewith, including, but not limited to, related facilities for streets, sewers, and utilities. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Services: means the professional services normally provided by the service provider. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- State: means the State of Florida. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Substantial rehabilitation: means repair or restoration of a dwelling unit where the value of such repair or restoration exceeds 40 percent of the value of the dwelling. See Florida Statutes 420.503
(b) It is necessary to create a state housing finance strategy to provide affordable workforce housing opportunities to essential services personnel in areas of critical state concern designated under s. 380.05, for which the Legislature has declared its intent to provide affordable housing, and areas that were designated as areas of critical state concern for at least 20 consecutive years before removal of the designation. The lack of affordable workforce housing has been exacerbated by the dwindling availability of developable land, environmental constraints, rising construction and insurance costs, and the shortage of lower-cost housing units. As this state’s population continues to grow, essential services personnel vital to the economies of areas of critical state concern are unable to live in the communities where they work, creating transportation congestion and hindering their quality of life and community engagement.