Florida Policy Project 2025 Housing Summit will feature banking exec, affordability experts

The Florida Policy Project, a nonprofit started by former Sen. Jeff Brandes that researches best practices on some of the toughest challenges facing the state, will host its 2025 Florida Housing Summit on Wednesday, May 14, at the James Museum in St. Petersburg.

The summit, entitled “Blueprint for Better Outcomes,” will run from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., and will feature speakers with expertise in banking, housing shortages and housing policy.

Matt Walsh, CEO and owner of The Observer Media Group, which runs several local publications, websites and lifestyle magazines across the state, will serve as the event’s emcee.

Speakers include Michelle Dennard, the Vice President and regional executive for the Jacksonville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Kevin Erdmann, author of “Shut Out: How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled our Economy”; and Patrick Slevin, who served as Mayor of Safety Harbor in the late ’90s and specializes in combating “NIMBY” (not in my backyard) opposition.

In addition to speakers, the event will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, experts and stakeholders to discuss housing solutions, with the goal of addressing challenges, sharing innovative solutions and paving the way for a more affordable future for Floridians.

Topics will include zoning, incentivizing cities and counties, accessory dwelling units, vouchers, upzoning and other possible strategies for improving Florida’s affordable housing climate.

Registration for the 2025 event is already open here. The 2024 Summit sold out, so organizers are encouraging attendees to register early.

As a banking executive, Dennard will bring to the conversation expertise on finance.

In her role with the Atlanta Fed, Dennard is responsible for regional input into the organization’s monetary policy. She also oversees the Jacksonville branch’s Board of Directors and its Advisory Council on Transportation and Logistics. Additionally, Dennard is a lawyer with nearly two decades of experience in workforce and economic development and has served in state-level positions working on strategic leadership and shaping policy.

Erdmann has also authored “Building from the Ground Up: Reclaiming the American Housing Boom,” and is a senior affiliated scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he has published several studies explaining how obstructions to housing supply and homeowner financing have led to the current housing crisis.

He also publishes a Substack newsletter, “The Erdmann Housing Tracker.” His work has been featured on C-Span, Bloomberg’s “Odd Lots” podcast, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, POLITICO, Barron’s, USA Today, U.S. News, and more.

Slevin was Safety Harbor’s youngest Mayor when he was elected in 1996. Now, he has earned a national reputation as a NIMBY crisis expert.

The phenomenon is marked by residents in communities who oppose new real estate development for a variety of reasons. Slevin works to combat such thinking by consulting with real estate executives worried about opposition to projects. Slevin is a two-time amazon bestselling NIMBY author and runs the public affairs firm SL7 Consulting, which is headquartered in Tallahassee.

Affordable housing is one of several policy areas the Florida Policy Project is focusing on. It released a report in mid-2023 spotlighting challenges and offering potential solutions.

The report found a staggering 945,687 very low-income households where hardworking families, seniors and individuals with disabilities are spending more than half of their income on housing. Additionally, the report found more than half of all renters in Florida allocate at least 30% of their income toward rent.

The recommendations included a range of strategies, including upzoning, form-based codes, lot size reduction, accessory dwelling units and light touch density, all topics likely to be discussed at this year’s housing summit.

Upzoning includes organic density increases attained through allowing new development and, according to the report, “could translate on the ground as dividing a large single-family home into two or four units” or allow “more of the property to be developed or the height increased by a story.”

Light touch density would expand housing options in residential neighborhoods to allow single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, tiny homes, accessory dwelling units and small-lot homes.

Reducing minimum lot sizes would increase the allowable housing per acre, again increasing density and housing stock, the report said.

Accessory dwelling units, meanwhile, are often referred to as “mother-in-law suites” and are things like over-garage apartments or detached apartments on a single-family home property. They offer affordable housing to renters while also offering an additional revenue stream for homeowners.

Finally, the report establishes form-based codes as a best practice, an action that focuses on preserving neighborhoods while also allowing land use to evolve as the city grows.

Post Views: 0