Key Issues: Affordable Housing

green palm trees near high rise buildings under blue sky during daytime
green palm trees near high rise buildings under blue sky during daytime

The Challenge:

Our housing market doesn't match our wages

We’ve all seen the headlines about Tampa’s booming real estate market. But for the people who actually keep our city running, that boom has felt like a barrier. "Affordable housing" cannot just be a catchphrase or a box that developers tick to get a tax break. Housing is only truly affordable if it matches the actual wages earned by everyday Tampa residents.

When a nurse, a municipal worker, or a local service employee is forced to spend more than 30% or 40% of their paycheck just to keep a roof over their head, they can't save for the future. We don’t just have a housing crisis; we have a wage-to-housing mismatch.

To keep Tampa's unique character alive, we must ensure the people who work in Tampa can afford to live in Tampa.

cars on road near high rise buildings during night time
cars on road near high rise buildings during night time

The Vision:

Protecting renters, supporting buyers, and keeping families in District 6

My housing platform focuses on creating a reliable path to stable, wealth-building homeownership and ensuring that rental housing remains within reach for working families.

Support Jose's Vision

  • Pegging "Affordable" to Local Wages: I will advocate for city-backed housing initiatives and developer incentives to be strictly tied to our local Area Median Income (AMI), prioritizing housing for those earning 50 to 20 percent of Tampa’s true median wage.

  • Expanding Down Payment Assistance: Tampa's "Dare to Own the Dream" (DARE) program offers up to $50,000 in down payment assistance, and Hillsborough County's "Home Sweet Home" program provides critical closing cost support. These are lifelines, but they are chronically underfunded and highly restrictive. I will fight to expand municipal funding for these programs so more families can transition from renting to owning.

  • Expanding Program Eligibility for the "Squeezed Middle": Current first-time buyer assistance programs have strict household income caps. A dual-income household of a teacher and a firefighter shouldn't be "too successful" to get help buying their first home. We must raise the program income caps to reflect real-world Tampa home prices, ensuring our essential workforce isn’t priced out.

  • Streamlining the Process: Navigating the bureaucracy of municipal assistance can take months, causing buyers to lose out on homes in a fast-moving market. We must modernize, simplify, and speed up the city's application process so working families can compete with corporate all-cash buyers.

white and brown concrete house near green trees during daytime
white and brown concrete house near green trees during daytime

How We Get it Done:

Actionable solutions

  1. Boost Public Funding for DARE & Local Housing Trusts: Direct local funds and seek state housing dollars (SHIP) to expand the pool of available down payment assistance.

  2. Implement Smart Zoning & "Missing Middle" Housing: Encourage the development of townhomes, duplexes, and cottage courts in District 6. This adds naturally affordable housing stock that blends seamlessly into our existing neighborhoods.

  3. Hold Developers Accountable: Ensure that when developers receive city variances or incentives, they deliver tangible, long-term affordable units that stay affordable for decades, not just a few years.

"A city that only builds for the wealthy is a city without a future. We must make homeownership a realistic, achievable dream for every hardworking Tampa family."

black and white boat on water near city buildings during daytime

Progress Starts Today

Support Jose's vision for a Tampa that works by making a donation today

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Political advertisement paid for and approved by Jose Lucena for Tampa City Council, District 6

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