According to the Zumper National Rent Report late last year, out of the 100 most populous cities nationwide with the largest rent spikes, St. Petersburg had the third highest jump in rent costs in 2021.
The city also saw a 27% climb in home sale prices in the year after the onset of the pandemic. The surge caused Forbes magazine to rank St. Petersburg as one of the top five hottest housing markets in the nation.
That grim reality was a large part of what motivated Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers to convene The Restoring the American Dream Housing Conference, happening February 10-12th.
The event will host local, state, and federal officials along with for-profit and non-profit developers, and community leaders to discuss solutions to the mounting shortage of affordable housing in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
Focused on both the rental and for-sale housing markets, the conference will explore “innovative and alternative” strategies to removing financial barriers, providing creative building solutions, and addressing legislation geared towards solving the housing crisis long term.
Flowers was pointed about inviting federal officials into the dialogue. The Honorable Alan Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) will serve as the conference’s keynote speaker.
Williams is a graduate of Florida A&M University and a former Florida State Representative (2008 to 2016). He chaired the Florida Legislative Black Caucus and worked as House Democratic Whip from 2012 to 2016.
Williams was appointed to the HUD post by the Biden administration in 2021. He previously served as Coordinated Coalition Strategy Advisor in Florida to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has also prioritized the pursuit of federal resources to accelerate construction and rehabilitation of more affordable housing stock. He was one of a handful of newly-elected mayors to be invited to the White House last December to discuss housing, among other topics.
Welch repeatedly cited his priority to secure federal resources to accelerate affordable housing development and preservation at last week’s Economic Equity Policy Dialogue.
“As I look around me and drive down 34th Street South, for example, I see hundreds of units of luxury housing going in and only a handful of truly affordable [units] and that imbalance has to be adjusted,” said Mayor Welch. “It’s ‘time out’ for the silos and the old debts and beefs,” Welch said. “We have a city that literally can become unaffordable.”
Flowers has elevated the need for affordable housing in County Commission meetings and in talks with state officials as well.
“Since becoming an elected official in 1999, housing has been a critical issue and not just in Pinellas County,” says Flowers. “Housing is one of the areas with a dedicated funding source to aid in providing housing that is affordable and in line with employees’ earnings. However, the state legislature frequently raided the Sadowski Trust Fund and last year, passed legislation that split the Trust in half.”
Flowers is rallying local leaders to work collectively to forge localized innovations. “We cannot continue to look to Tallahassee for answers. As a community, we must refine the tools we have in our toolkit currently, not be afraid to implement ideas albeit unpopular, and collaborate in a way that bridges any barriers of mistrust. We know what the problems are, this conference is designed to find solutions.”
The upcoming conference will kick-off with a Meet and Greet for local and national attendees, on the evening of February 10th at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum (2240 9th Ave South., St. Petersburg).
Conference breakout sessions and panel discussions will be held on February 11th and 12th at the St. Petersburg College EpiCenter (13805 58th Street North, Clearwater).
Subject matter experts will moderate the sessions, homing in on topics such as financing affordable and workforce projects, qualifying for home loans, innovative housing programs and projects underway, veterans housing initiatives, and updates on legislative bills affecting housing opportunities.
Planning program members for the conference are Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, St. Petersburg Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Gershom Faulkner (representing U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist), Gypsy Gallardo (CEO One Community Plan and Managing Member, the Sankofa Group), Dr. Tonjua Williams (SPC President), Dr. Cynthia Johnson (Director of Pinellas County Economic Development), Ernest Coney (CDC of Tampa Bay), Sean King (Habitat for Humanity Pinellas/Pasco), Joshua Johnson (St. Petersburg Housing Department), Tom DeYampert (Veteran Housing Landlord), Michael Jalazo (People Empowering and Restoring Communities), Cheryl Schroeder (AFL-CIO), and Mark Hunt (Director of Career Technical and Adult Education for Pinellas County Schools).
Conference sponsors are Duke Energy, St. Petersburg College, Pinellas County Economic Development, Pinellas County Urban League, Habitat for Humanity Pinellas/Pasco, Pinellas Technical College, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), and the AFL-CIO.
Attendees can register to purchase tickets for $75 via Eventbrite. For sponsorship opportunities or additional information, please email dherring@pinellascounty.org. Spaces are limited and COVID-19 protocols will be followed.
