Ron DeSantis blames Joe Biden for affordable housing crisis

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Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed President Joe Biden for the rising cost of rent in Florida on Friday.

The political score comes after Florida Democrats sent a letter to DeSantis on Thursday, urging it to declare a state of emergency to address Florida’s growing lack of affordable housing.

Rent prices, the letter notes, are on the rise.

“This situation is no longer viable because Floridians simply cannot afford Florida,” the letter read.

DeSantis, however, crushed calls for an emergency declaration shortly after receiving the letter on Thursday. The problem, he suggested, lies with Biden.

“We should take this letter and pass it on to Joe Biden in the White House because things are more expensive because of his policies,” DeSantis told reporters at Ocala.

Rents are skyrocketing beyond the reach of some Floridians. According to various reports, rents in central Florida have increased 20% since January, while rents in South Florida have increased by almost 25%.

The Tampa Bay area has seen an increase of nearly 25% since July – among the largest increases in the country, according to the letter. Only 2% of apartments in Tampa, the letter adds, cost less than $ 1,000 a month.

“We call on Governor DeSantis to declare a state of emergency to crack down on homeowners who are taking advantage of the pandemic to engage in price hikes and to ensure that we allow our working families the freedom to have a affordable place to live first, ”Democratic Senator Gary Farmer wrote in the letter.

Speaking to Ocala, DeSantis highlighted other issues plaguing the Biden administration, including supply chain grunts and rising fuel prices.

He also lamented the CDC’s moratorium on evictions, an order prohibiting landlords from starting tenants affected by COVID-19 amid the pandemic. The moratorium ended on July 31.

“We are happy to pass this letter on to Biden, because make no mistake, this is what drives up costs across the board,” DeSantis added.

In the letter, Democrats note that a state of emergency would allow Attorney General Ashley Moody to enact price hike protections. Supporters, including Democratic Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, want to ban rent increases of 10% over the past twelve months. They accuse the Republican governor of waging a “culture war” as rent prices rise.

“The simple fact is that more and more Floridians cannot afford Florida and it is high time that we recognize that access to affordable housing is an emergency that must be addressed,” Smith wrote.

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