Marco Island Area Realtors Work to Protect Affordable and Accessible Housing for ALL Floridians

The Marco Island Area Association of Realtors is doing what the Florida legislature hasn’t – protect our state’s affordable and accessible housing. Now, the association is asking you to help stop Florida lawmakers from slashing our state’s much-needed housing funds by 50%.

“Florida is facing a housing crisis that will affect millions of hardworking families, and this has a direct impact on our Marco Island economy,” said Jack Winnik, 2021 President-Elect of the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors.

Florida has an established housing support system that’s generated from property sales. The money is supposed to help generate affordable homes, thereby decreasing unemployment rates and improving our schools, parks, and neighborhoods.

However, the Florida legislature has siphoned $2.6 billion away from affordable housing protection year after year. During the 2021 session, they created a law to permanently reduce the funds by half.

Florida REALTORS®, including the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors, have proposed a constitutional amendment that prevents Florida lawmakers from redirecting these critical funds. The amendment requires housing funds to be used for housing assistance. We need more than one million registered voters to sign the petition to get the amendment on the 2022 ballot.

“The most recent Collier County housing data (2015) shows increased affordable housing options are the number one concern for four categories of vulnerable populations: elderly, people with disabilities, domestic violence survivors, and people with limited English proficiency and migrant workers”, said Kandy Sweeney, CEO for the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors. “Forty percent of all households in Collier County spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Of those, about half are severely cost-burdened.”

Keep Housing Funds For Housing

“This amendment would guarantee the portion of the taxes charged on documents like deeds and mortgages will only be used to make homes and apartments safer and more affordable for seniors, low-income, and moderate-income Florida residents,” said Mrs. Sweeney. “The intended purpose of these funds is that they be used for housing programs, but for nearly two decades the legislative process has resulted in billions of these dollars being used for non-housing projects.”

Voting YES for the amendment would make sure these funds only go to affordable housing projects— but first, we need to get the amendment on the ballot!

We encourage all Florida registered voters to visit the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors office (140 Waterway Drive, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday) to sign a petition to protect our state’s affordable and accessible housing fund. More than one million signatures are needed to get the constitutional amendment on the 2022 ballot.

Can’t make it to our office? Here's what you can do!

Step 1: Download the petition at: https://initiativepetitions.elections.myflorida.com/InitiativeForms/Volunteer/DSDE155A_999_2111_EN.pdf. Then sign and mail it to: Floridians For Housing, 3515 NW 98th Street, Ste. 200, Gainesville, FL 32606

Step 2: Make copies of the petition and ask your friends, family, and colleagues to sign.

Step 3: Spread the word through your social media networks, newsletters, and word of mouth (#housingfunds4housing)