Inform Article

Florida's affordable housing trust fund used to fill holes in budget

01.20.2011
Posted by Rachel Lorenzo of Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County, Inc.
Florida's affordable housing trust fund used to fill holes in budget picture

Housing News from Suzanne Cabrera

In Florida, for every real estate transaction a fee is paid into our state's affordable housing trust fund, the Sadowski Fund.  This fund was created to help in the development of affordable housing.  Unfortunately, for the last several years the State Legislature has emptied out the housing trust fund to help fill in the holes in the budget. Floridians should be outraged that we have a housing trust fund that is raided on a yearly basis to fill holes in the budget. 

The appropriation of state and local housing trust funds into Florida's housing programs in Fiscal Year 2011-12 will create nearly 15,000 jobs in Florida and more than $1.4 BILLION in economic impact.  The big winners in all of this are communities across the state who benefit from developers purchasing needed materials, jobs, affordable housing and a stronger tax base. 

Florida Cannot Afford NOT to Spend Housing Trust Fund Money on Housing.  We need to fight for this money because affordable housing programs are essential to Florida's economic recovery.

Help restore the "trust" in our Trust Fund. 

For More information on the Sadowski Fund, please see this website- http://www.flhousing.org/trust-fund-advocacy