THE BILL ITSELF
HB 267
Local Housing Assistance Plans
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to local housing assistance plans;
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amending s. 420.9072, F.S.; authorizing a county or an
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eligible municipality to expend certain funds on lot
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rental assistance for mobile home owners for a
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specified time period; amending s. 420.9075, F.S.;
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requiring counties and eligible municipalities to
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develop certain strategies in their local housing
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assistance plans; providing that lot rental assistance
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is an approved home ownership activity for certain
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purposes; authorizing certain funds to be provided to
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mobile home owners for rehabilitation and emergency
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repairs; removing a prohibition that only a certain
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percentage of funds may be used for manufactured
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housing; amending s. 420.9071, F.S.; conforming a
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cross-reference; providing an effective date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (7) of section
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420.9072, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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420.9072 State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program.—
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The State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program is created for
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the purpose of providing funds to counties and eligible
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municipalities as an incentive for the creation of local housing
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partnerships, to expand production of and preserve affordable
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housing, to further the housing element of the local government
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comprehensive plan specific to affordable housing, and to
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increase housing-related employment.
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(7)
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(b) A county or an eligible municipality may not expend
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its portion of the local housing distribution to provide ongoing
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rent subsidies, except for:
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1. Security and utility deposit assistance.
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2. Eviction prevention not to exceed 6 months' rent.
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3. Lot rental assistance for mobile home owners as defined
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in s. 723.003, not to exceed 6 months' rent.
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4.3. A rent subsidy program for very-low-income households
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with at least one adult who is a person with special needs as
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defined in s. 420.0004 or homeless as defined in s. 420.621. The
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period of rental assistance may not exceed 12 months for any
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eligible household.
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Section 2. Paragraphs (d) through (g) of subsection (3) of
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section 420.9075, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
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paragraphs (e) through (h), respectively, paragraphs (f) through
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(n) of subsection (5) are redesignated as paragraphs (e) through
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(m), respectively, paragraph (c) of subsection (3) and
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paragraphs (a), (c), and (e) and present paragraph (n) of
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subsection (5) are amended, and new paragraphs (d) and (i) are
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added to subsection (3) of that section, to read:
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420.9075 Local housing assistance plans; partnerships.—
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(3)
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(c) Each county and each eligible municipality is
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encouraged to develop a strategy within its local housing
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assistance plan that addresses the needs of persons who are
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deprived of affordable housing due to the closure of a mobile
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home park or the conversion of affordable rental units to
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condominiums.
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(d) Each county and each eligible municipality shall
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include in its local housing assistance plan a strategy that
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addresses the needs of persons who are deprived of affordable
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housing due to the closure of a mobile home park.
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(i) Each county and each eligible municipality shall
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include in its local housing assistance plan a strategy for
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providing program funds to mobile home owners, as defined in s.
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723.003, which must include lot rental assistance.
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(5) The following criteria apply to awards made to
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eligible sponsors or eligible persons for the purpose of
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providing eligible housing:
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(a) At least 65 percent of the funds made available in
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each county and eligible municipality from the local housing
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distribution must be reserved for home ownership for eligible
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persons. For purposes of this paragraph, lot rental assistance
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for eligible mobile home owners as defined in s. 723.003 is an
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approved home ownership activity.
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(c) At least 75 percent of the funds made available in
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each county and eligible municipality from the local housing
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distribution must be reserved for construction, rehabilitation,
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or emergency repair of affordable, eligible housing. Funds may
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be provided to mobile home owners as defined in s. 723.003 for
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rehabilitation and emergency repairs under this paragraph.
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(e) Not more than 20 percent of the funds made available
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in each county and eligible municipality from the local housing
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distribution may be used for manufactured housing.
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(m)(n) Funds from the local housing distribution not used
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to meet the criteria established in paragraph (a) or paragraph
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(c) or not used for the administration of a local housing
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assistance plan must be used for housing production and finance
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activities, including, but not limited to, financing
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preconstruction activities or the purchase of existing units,
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providing rental housing, and providing home ownership training
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to prospective home buyers and owners of homes assisted through
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the local housing assistance plan.
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1. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) and
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(c), program income as defined in s. 420.9071(26) may also be
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used to fund activities described in this paragraph.
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2. When preconstruction due-diligence activities conducted
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as part of a preservation strategy show that preservation of the
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units is not feasible and will not result in the production of
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an eligible unit, such costs shall be deemed a program expense
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rather than an administrative expense if such program expenses
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do not exceed 3 percent of the annual local housing
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distribution.
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3. If both an award under the local housing assistance
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plan and federal low-income housing tax credits are used to
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assist a project and there is a conflict between the criteria
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prescribed in this subsection and the requirements of s. 42 of
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the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the county or
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eligible municipality may resolve the conflict by giving
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precedence to the requirements of s. 42 of the Internal Revenue
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Code of 1986, as amended, in lieu of following the criteria
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prescribed in this subsection with the exception of paragraphs
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(a) and (f) (g) of this subsection.
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4. Each county and each eligible municipality may award
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funds as a grant for construction, rehabilitation, or repair as
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part of disaster recovery or emergency repairs or to remedy
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accessibility or health and safety deficiencies. Any other
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grants must be approved as part of the local housing assistance
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plan.
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Section 3. Subsection (27) of section 420.9071, Florida
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Statutes, is amended to read:
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420.9071 Definitions.—As used in ss. 420.907-420.9079, the
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term:
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(27) "Recaptured funds" means funds that are recouped by a
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county or eligible municipality in accordance with the recapture
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provisions of its local housing assistance plan pursuant to s.
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420.9075(5)(i) s. 420.9075(5)(j) from eligible persons or
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eligible sponsors, which funds were not used for assistance to
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an eligible household for an eligible activity, when there is a
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default on the terms of a grant award or loan award.
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Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.