It’s been over a year since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed what’s known as the “Live Local Act” into law.
It’s meant to help people live closer to where they work.
But a new report from the Florida Policy Institute reveals the law might not be cutting it for some professions, like educators, firefighters and law enforcement officers.
Right now, Florida ranks 40th in the nation for housing affordability.
But about one-third of households are considered “cost-burdened.” That means the household spends more than 30% of their income on housing.
Taking a look at the breakdown by profession, for a family of three living on the average salary of an educator, housing is considered unaffordable in most of Northeast Florida, including Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau counties.
Families living on an average law enforcement salary struggle even more. All of Northeast Florida, except for Baker County, is considered “unaffordable” when it comes to housing for law enforcement salaries.
For firefighters, all of Northeast Florida is considered unaffordable on their salary.
Analysts say while the “Live Local Act” is certainly a step in the right direction to address the affordability crisis, additional investment is needed to help people live closer to where they work.