ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in America, but many families have a hard time finding a place to live when they get here.
Some state lawmakers say Florida is in a housing crisis and are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to take action.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
READ: Central Florida becoming the Wild West of real estate scams
State Rep. Carlos Guillermo-Smith said rent prices are skyrocketing, and help is desperately needed.
“The affordable housing crisis here in Florida just keeps getting worse and worse,” Guillermo-Smith said.
Guillermo-Smith and nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers are calling on the governor to declare a state of emergency on housing affordability.
READ: Central Florida becoming the Wild West of real estate scams
“Floridians just can’t afford Florida, and that’s why we’re demanding that Governor DeSantis take this seriously and take action,” he said.
In the letter, representatives said they want the governor to address what they say is price gouging, with many renters seeing a more than 10% increase in their rent this past year.
According to real estate experts, the base rent for a studio for a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Orlando now costs around $1,700.
READ: Rental assistance payments were on the way. He was evicted anyway.
While families still struggle to pay rent, there is help available.
OUR Florida, a federally-funded emergency rental assistance relief program, helps renters with rent and utility bills, as well as landlords that have lost revenue because of the pandemic.
More information on OUR Florida can be found here.
READ: Legal loophole leaves out some vulnerable tenants from housing protections
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
