Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Florida state legislators are considering a proposal to legalize accessory dwelling units across the state.
As Giulia Carbonaro explains in Newsweek, “On top of climbing home prices, homeowners in the state are struggling with rising homeowners association (HOA) fees, high property insurance premiums, and other growing housing costs which are increasingly outpricing Floridians and forcing them to sell their homes and move.”
Now, two proposed bills would require municipalities to allow ADUs in single-family neighborhoods, with exceptions for planned developments. Lawmakers hope ADUs could offer an affordable housing option for the state’s lower-income workers.
Carbonaro adds, “While the granny flats would also face property taxes, homeowners would not lose their homestead property exemptions if they add such extensions. A change made to SB 184 by Gaetz earlier this month would also prevent granny flats from being used as short-term rentals—an issue that was raised during discussions of the bill.”
FULL STORY: Florida Could Be About To Get a Lot More Housing
Pittsburgh Mayor Proposes Zoning Changes to Curb Housing Shortage
The mayor’s plan includes legalizing ADUs in single-family neighborhoods, eliminating parking requirements, and adding new affordability requirements to buildings with over 20 units.
Montana Supreme Court Upholds Zoning Reform Bills
The decision invalidates a preliminary injunction that blocked two key housing bills.
NYC Zoning Reform: Where Will It Have an Impact?
The zoning reform package dubbed ‘City of Yes’ will likely yield uneven results, with many of the lowest-density neighborhoods exempted from new regulations.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI
Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.
What Makes Rent ‘Fair’
Should monthly charges be pegged to the cost of financing, developing, and operating housing, or to household income? Or are there other ways to design how rent is calculated?
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Zero-Emission Bus Fleets Grow, But Federal Funding Is in Jeopardy
Transit agencies around the country have purchased over 7,000 zero-emission buses, but a federal program that funds the shift could be eliminated under the new administration.
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