As Floridians continue to struggle with skyrocketing rent increases, Senator Victor Torres (D- Orlando) and Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) have filed SB 1776/HB 1335 in order to increase housing security for children and working families. Under the proposed legislation, a landlord would be required to provide three months notice before moving forward on an eviction for any tenant with children under the age of 18 or who is pregnant that reside within the dwelling.
Numerous studies have shown the detrimental effects that the lack of housing security can have on children and parents, but especially on expectant mothers. A 16-year long study of nearly 90,000 pregnancies in Georgia just published last year found that infants born to mothers who have an eviction filed against them during their pregnancy are more likely to be born prematurely or with low birth weight. This legislation would ensure that working families in Florida have enough time to find a new place to live so that they have the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe in our state.
“Lack of access to affordable housing is an emergency for working families across our state,” said Senator Victor Torres. “Here in Central Florida, people working two or three jobs are seeing their rent skyrocket and are worried they won’t be able to provide a good home for themselves and their families. I’m proud to file this legislation to ensure that our children and our working families will have the housing security in place that gives them the ability to find a new home in the case of an eviction due to the massive increases in rent we are seeing.”
“While the Governor and Republican leadership in the Legislature are focused on corporate kickbacks and their own political ambitions, working families throughout Florida are facing an emergency when it comes to finding an affordable place to live,” declared Representative Angie Nixon. “For the past twenty years, Republicans have diverted billions of our tax dollars away from their intended purpose of affordable housing and now it’s everyday Floridians who are paying the price for their misplaced priorities. Expectant mothers and families with children are feeling the brunt of this issue on their physical and mental health, which is why I am glad we can file this legislation to give them the housing security they need to search for a new home prior to an eviction.”
