Orange County residents fed up with rising rents, ask commissioners to declare ‘state of emergency’

ORNAGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County residents are concerned over skyrocketing rent, asking county leaders to reconsider declaring a “housing state of emergency” during Tuesday’s county commissioner meeting.

Advocacy groups say tenants need more protection as area rents continue to climb.

County leaders told Channel 9 that they plan to look at more ways to combat the increase.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

“At best, we have been forced into the impossible choice between our safety, livelihood and the county we thought was our home,” said May Beck from Orlando Tenant Power.

County leaders said they’ll discuss a potential rent cap later this week, but the focus of today’s panel of legal experts was to investigate discrimination against those trying to find affordable housing.

“Many victims of housing discrimination can feel helpless,” said Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, who led today’s panel.

Read: Central Florida man arrested after trying to entice young girl into car, police say

Housing advocates find housing discrimination against those with disabilities, who are the most prevalent.

“Nationwide, less than 5% of housing is acceptable for those with moderate mobility impairments,” said Katherine Hanson with Disability Right Florida.

Those in the LGBTQ+ community also allege a high volume of unfair treatment.

Read: ‘This is how you guys get killed’: Florida officer under investigation for traffic stop comment

Even though the fair housing act protects against discrimination, these advocates said it’s often difficult for renters to fight back because of fears of eviction or retaliation.

Advocates want to see more legal protections.

“For where there are eviction diversion programs, it’s really important those programs are set up in a way to provide housing stability for tenants and not just move eviction cases forward,” said Natalie Maxwell with the National Housing Law Project.

Read: Rob Gronkowski announces retirement from NFL

Housing advocates advise that it’s important to file a housing complaint sooner rather than later, since some renters may be limited to only a year to file depending on where they live.

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.

©2022 Cox Media Group