Seeking Rents
Seeking Rents – The Podcast
Two Florida communities on the front lines of housing reform
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Two Florida communities on the front lines of housing reform

Orlando and Gainesville are battlegrounds in the fight for “housing abundance." The two communities are also on the brink of passing local referendums that will have statewide repercussions.

In this episode: Amid a growing consensus that overly restrictive housing rules are a major driver of high housing prices, the city of Gainesville just passed far-reaching reforms meant to make it much easier to build more homes. At the same time, Orange County is on the brink of passing changes meant to slow suburban sprawl and encourage denser urban development instead. A pair of leaders from both communities — Eric Grimmer of Orlando YIMBY and Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman — join the show to talk about their housing efforts, as well as a couple of fascinating local referendums on the ballot this fall.

Show notes

As promised in the show, here’s a link to Orlando YIMBY.

And for more details about Gainesville’s zoning reforms, check out this presentation.

Lastly, here are a few stories that we touched on during the discussions:

The Missing Middle: Supply vs. Aesthetics in the Drive for New Housing (Governing)

Florida Republicans Are Fighting Gainesville’s Zoning Reform, and Themselves (Bloomberg)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Administration Tells Gainesville To Abandon Zoning Reform (Reason Foundation)

Gainesville community rallies for amendment returning GRU leadership to city (The Independent Florida Alligator)

In five races, Orange County voters can choose sides in the fight over growth (Orlando Sentinel)

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com

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Seeking Rents
Seeking Rents – The Podcast
"Rent-seeking" is a term in economics that describes when a corporation uses its political influence to twist tax laws and other public policy in its favor. Seeking Rents – The Podcast brings you the stories of how that's happening in Florida, where corporate interests like Florida Power & Light, Big Sugar, and Walt Disney World wield enormous influence everywhere from local city halls to the state Capitol. Hosted by award-winning journalist Jason Garcia, Florida's leading corporate-accountability reporter.