Interactive Map Shows Where Florida Housing Shortage is Most Severe

A new interactive map from the Florida State University, Florida Policy Project, and Reason Foundation illustrates Florida’s housing shortage, highlighting the areas where the crisis is most dire.

The map “allows residents and elected officials to see local-level housing trends, track shortages in single-family and rental units, and understand whether their local market has been in balance, surplus, or deficit over time.”

According to the tool’s creators, “Today, Florida faces a severe housing shortage: approximately 55,000 single-family units and more than 66,000 rental units are missing from the market. Yet the gap is even worse in certain metro areas—Miami-Dade, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa rank among the least affordable housing markets in the nation.” They attribute this to a range of causes including permitting delays, restrictive zoning, and complex development processes that restrict new construction.

The researchers hope that “With straight-forward housing supply numbers tailored for local use, citizens and policymakers alike can see how deeply the housing shortage cuts into their communities—and why fixing Florida’s broken housing system is no longer optional.”