Here's What Florida Realtors Is Watching During the 2025 Session
Support the Hometown Heroes Housing Program
Florida Realtors® applauds the work of the Florida Legislature for creating and supporting the highly successful Hometown Heroes Housing Program. Since 2022, the program has helped more than 20,000 hard-working Floridian’s purchase their first home through zero-interest loans that help cover downpayment and closing costs. Borrowers repay the loan when the home is sold or rented, or the title transfers.
The Legislature’s $300 million overall investment in the popular homebuying assistance program continues to be an overwhelming success, as the most recent allocation of $100 million was fully reserved by eager homebuyers in less than two months of becoming available.
Given the ongoing success of the Hometown Heroes Housing Program and the demonstrated need for these funds in a difficult home affordability environment, Florida Realtors® asks lawmakers to explore additional ways to inject new funds into the program to help more families achieve the dream of homeownership.
Preserve Beneficial Attainable Workforce Housing Strategies
The Florida Legislature achieved a remarkable feat in 2023 with the passage of the Live Local Act, the most comprehensive and far-reaching housing legislation in the last three decades. This historic law makes significant long-term investments in state homebuying and affordable rental housing while incentivizing private investment in state housing programs.
As with all major legislation, adjustments may be needed to ensure that unintended consequences do not hinder the efforts of the Act to help Floridians find a place to live close to where they work. As the Legislature examines the Live Local Act for possible adjustments, Florida Realtors asks that lawmakers strive to preserve the innovative strategies and funding that it employs to increase attainable housing options throughout the state.
We also ask that lawmakers consider additional options that may enhance the beneficial outcomes of the Live Local Act, such as enabling the creation of more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in our communities. This unique housing option has the dual benefit of providing low-cost housing opportunities for Floridians while also potentially providing property owners with additional sources of revenue to improve their lives.
Support the My Safe Florida Home and My Safe Florida Condo Programs
Florida lawmakers should be commended for their continued support of home hardening efforts like the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program and the My Safe Florida Condo (MSFC) pilot program. Since launching in 2022, the MSFH program has been a tremendous success, helping thousands of Floridians harden their homes against storms.
As of October of 2024, the MSFH program has delivered $576 million in grant funding and has provided 109,000 free home inspections. These inspections resulted in the approval of 58,700 home hardening grants which, in turn, helped lower the insurance premium costs of grant participants by an average of $1,000 while also making homes better able to withstand storm events.
The MSFH program is so popular that newly allocated funds ran out in three months of becoming available. Similarly, the launch of the 2024 MSFC pilot program, which provides hardening grants for condominiums, saw its $30 million of pilot funding run out in one week of becoming available.
Given the demonstrated need for home hardening efforts in the state, Florida Realtors® asks lawmakers to support additional funding for the MSFH and MSFC programs. Additional funding for the programs will allow more Floridians to protect their homes from storms and reduce their insurance premiums.
Continue Reducing the Business Rent Tax
Florida Realtors® praises the actions of previous Legislatures that lowered the state sales tax rate on commercial leases, known as the Business Rent Tax, to 2%. Although reduced from its previous high of 6%, the tax continues to create a financial burden for any business that leases space — from the local restaurant and nail salon to large retail stores. Moreover, municipalities and local governments often levy additional local option taxes on top of the state sales tax rate, further inflating the burden.
Small businesses, which comprise almost 99% of all Florida employers, are disproportionately impacted by this tax because they are more likely to rent their location. Lowering and eventually eliminating the business rent tax will provide Florida businesses capital to expand, hire more employees, improve benefits and raise salaries.
Given the positive impact of lowering the Business Rent Tax, Florida Realtors® asks lawmakers to support legislation and budget initiatives to further reduce and eliminate this tax so business owners have capital to grow their operations and reinvest in their local communities.
Continue to Support Water Quality Efforts
Our water bodies, water ways, springs and other natural wonders are the foundation of our communities and must be protected if Florida wants to remain one of the fastest growing and successful states in the nation. Thankfully, the Florida Legislature has recognized the importance of these resources and has answered the call by investing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in programs that aim to protect and preserve water quality throughout the state.
In 2025, Florida Realtors® asks the Florida Legislature to continue that investment. Specifically, we ask that lawmakers continue to allocate funding for the Everglades, Florida’s springs and beaches, and other related water quality projects. We also ask that they continue to support programs that address rising sea levels in our coastal communities, reduce the negative impact of blue green algae on our water bodies, and mitigate the impact of failing septic systems on water quality without negatively impacting private property rights of the complex nature of real estate transactions.
Monitor the Effectiveness of Ongoing Property Insurance Reforms
Florida Realtors® applauds the Florida Legislature for taking unprecedented steps during the December 2022 Special Session to stabilize Florida’s challenging property insurance market. Additionally, subsequent work by the 2023 Legislature to increase consumer protections and insurer accountability, and the 2024 Legislature to provide a modest reduction in the cost of most Florida insurance premiums must also be commended.
Thankfully, these comprehensive insurance reforms are working. Continued updates by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation indicate 1) new property insurers are entering Florida’s market; 2) the number of Citizens Property Insurance policyholders is decreasing; 3) reinsurers across the globe are meeting the reinsurance needs of Florida’s property insurers; and 4) insurer-related litigation
is slowing.
While these reports are encouraging, the average property insurance premium remains high, presenting an ongoing barrier to achieving and maintaining the dream of homeownership. As such, Florida Realtors® asks that in 2025, lawmakers continue to monitor the effectiveness of the reforms, explore additional remedies that can speed up this process, and seek additional solutions to provide relief to policyholders.
Uphold Condominium Safety and Affordability
The tragic June 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Fla., highlighted the need to comprehensively reform existing condominium laws. Lawmakers answered the call by passing a series of reforms aimed at increasing the safety of these buildings as well as ensuring that prospective purchasers are better informed about the building’s physical and financial condition.
Included in these reforms were new statewide “milestone inspection” requirements, structural integrity reserve studies, mandatory reserves and revised seller disclosures.
Although these reforms are necessary to protect the safety and welfare of condominium unit owners and visitors, they are making the condominium form of homeownership more expensive. This is especially troubling since condominiums represent affordable housing in many areas of the state or are occupied by persons on fixed incomes.
With these challenges in mind, Florida Realtors® asks that in 2025, lawmakers explore ideas that uphold new condominium safety measures and provide unit owners with options to tackle the significant costs associated with the reforms.
Protect Private Property Rights
Being able to rent your home is a fundamental right of private property owners. Vacation rental units have also become a critical part of Florida’s successful tourism-based economy, producing billions of dollars of economic activity each year. Despite this, many local governments continue to enact new, overly burdensome ordinances designed to discourage property owners from exercising their right to rent their property.
In 2025, Florida Realtors® encourages state lawmakers to support legislation to implement reasonable regulations to address local concerns while still allowing the industry to thrive creating a more balanced approach, ensuring both vacation rental owners and local governments can benefit from Florida's vacation rental market.