Panama City officials tour one of the city s new steel panel homes in Glenwood on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.
State lawmakers this year permanently slashed the affordable housing trust fund s revenue share, while also passing a guarantee that housing dollars would never again pay for other expenses.
“It’s going to be recurring revenue not subject to sweep,” said Jaimie Ross, director of the Florida Housing Coalition, which has advocated for an end to lawmakers’ tradition of diverting dollars away from state and local affordable housing trust funds. “And that actually is a very big win for housing.”
Still, the amount the legislature allocated to housing programs - $209 million - has some advocates displeased. That’s because they’d originally asked for twice that amount. Gov. Ron DeSantis’s proposed budget included $423 million to fully fund the state’s affordable housing needs.
Gainer, Drake host delegation meetings
By Carol Kent Wyatt | Washington County News @CAROLKENTWYATT
HOLMES AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES – Senator George Gainer and Representative Brad Drake recently hosted a series of legislative delegation meetings to hear from constituents and government leaders in Holmes, Jackson, Walton, and Washington counties.
Holding steady on education funding was among topics raised in both Holmes and Washington counties, with Holmes County Superintendent of Schools Buddy Brown and Washington County Superintendent Joe Taylor each addressing the delegation.
“Education is the one thing I feel we cannot back up on,” said Superintendent Brown. “Florida has made great strides in the last few years; we’ve become a leader in education, and we can’t take the chance to back up on that now. We can sacrifice in other areas, but not for our future. We have to maintain.”