The many woes of Florida’s housing market are well-known: hundreds of thousands of foreclosures, millions of underwater mortgages and a four-year trail of depreciating property values.
Florida lawmakers, handicapped by a $3.6 billion budget shortfall, will take their best shot at solving some of the most pressing housing problems during this year’s legislative session, which kicks off on Tuesday in Tallahassee.
In a session likely to be dominated by budget battles, public employee pensions and education reform, housing legislation isn’t at the top of most lawmakers’ minds, said Arden Shank, president of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida.