Florida Policy Project’s third annual housing summit to tackle affordability challenges

The Florida Policy Project is hosting its third annual Florida Housing Solutions Summit on Wednesday, bringing together policymakers, developers, community stakeholders and other housing leaders to address some of Florida’s most pressing housing challenges.

The event will be held at the James Museum of the American West, located at 150 Central Ave. in St. Pete, from 7:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. Registration is still open here.

The summit will tackle workforce housing development and financing; public-private partnerships; policy and regulatory solutions; data and research driving housing decisions; and scalable models for sustainable community growth.

“The Housing Solutions Summit is designed to catalyze real progress,” Florida Policy Project founder and former Sen. Jeff Brandes said. “We are convening leaders across sectors to drive accountability, spark innovation, and deliver measurable outcomes, turning our reports into results for communities across Florida.”

The event will feature keynote speakers, expert panels and interactive sessions, with the goal of providing attendees with connections and opportunities to collaborate with those able to take actionable steps toward closing housing gaps.

Speakers this year will include Lesley Deutch of John Burns Research; housing policy expert Kevin Erdmann; Ilana Blumsack with the conservative think tank Americans for Prosperity; Melody Wright of Huringa; Jon Brooks of Momentum Realty; Sen. Stan McClain; Charbel Barakat of DR Horton; Brita Wallace of Texans for Reasonable Solutions; Brad O’Connor of the Florida Realtors; Adrian Moore of the Reason Foundation; Florida Commerce Division of Community Development Deputy Secretary Justin Domer; Brian LeBlanc of Homes by West Bay Tampa; Ryan Benson of AVA Builders; Chloe Firebaugh of M/I Homes of Tampa; Ed Pinto of the American Enterprise Institute; Jaimie Cavanaugh of the Pacific Legal Foundation; Andrew Gothard of YIMBY Action; Mike Sutton of Habitat for Humanity; Ari Bargil of the Institute for Justice; futurist Chuck Martin; former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker; Andy Gonzalez of Airbnb; Rep. Bill Conerly; housing advocate Avery Bernstein; Americans for Prosperity’s Derick Tabertshofer; and Doug Wheeler of the James Madison Institute.

Topics will include aging, migration and housing demand; an evaluation of the current housing market; an exploration of housing data; the argument for smaller lot sizes; understanding the new housing authority; an evaluation of supply side costs, regulation and growth; lessons from previous housing reforms; smart growth; housing history; short-term rentals; 2026 legislative actions; and several networking opportunities as well as opening and closing remarks from Brandes.

Emmy award-winning journalist Al Ruechel will emcee the event.

The 2026 event is sponsored by Florida Trend, AFP Florida, John Burns Research & Consulting, Lisa Miller & Associates, and ULI Tampa Bay.

While also focused on other areas important to Floridians, the Florida Policy Project has been particularly focused on housing affordability issues in recent months. In October, the group partnered with researchers from Florida State University to create a new housing supply model to help officials address housing shortages across the state.

Last year’s housing summit identified several challenges and potential solutions. That included confronting misconceptions that the term “affordable housing” is only for low-income people and how that affects affordability for many residents who face gaps between housing costs and income. Often, even people earning an average income find “affordable” housing to be quite unaffordable.

Solutions at past summits, including in 2025, often focus on more flexible zoning and creative housing solutions, such as accessory dwelling units and smaller homes.

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The Florida Policy Project is a strategic advertising partner of Extensive Enterprises, the holding company that owns Florida Politics.