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St. Pete council urges tenants' rights in city deals after state stripped protections

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Published  August 22, 2024 9:28pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Tenants' bill of rights

Genevieve Curtis reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A year after a controversial bill stripped cities of their own protections for renters, the City of St. Petersburg is finding a way to bring some of them back.

It was a controversial bill, blocking cities from regulating tenant protections, in favor of statewide landlord/tenant rules. Proponents of the law said it made tenant protections consistent across the Florida.

Housing advocates worried it dismantled anti-discrimination protections and left tenants vulnerable to being taken advantage of and created unstable housing. 

READ: Hillsborough County turning to 3D printers for affordable housing

Almost a year to the day since the bill was signed into law, St. Pete city council is clawing back some safeguards for renters. Council passed a resolution to urge staff to negotiate a "tenants notice of rights" into all affordable housing deals.

"We basically created a standard set of rules and regulations for them to use that will empower tenants and make things much more smooth for them as well," said City Council Rep Richie Floyd. "And so, we anticipate it being included in a lot of housing deals going forward."

The catch is that it could only be applied to projects receiving city funding, and city staff would have to ask developers to include it, rather than mandate it.

"We don't have to give you our funding," said Floyd. "We're entering into a voluntary agreement with you. And if we're going to enter into a voluntary agreement with you, we need to make sure you're doing right by your tenants."

MORE: 'A labor of love': West Tampa cigar factory turned into housing for University of Tampa students

Some of those protections include adequate notice for rent increases and preventing landlords from discriminating against sources of income, like housing vouchers, with a goal of promoting housing stability.

"Those couple of things are like super powerful that will keep people in their homes over the long run. And we lost the ability to do that. And we're bringing it back in a limited capacity now," said Floyd.

The resolution passed 7-1 with council member Ed Montanari voting against it, saying he believes state law preempts the city's resolution.

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