A weekly alert that contains in-depth news, information, insight and analysis on the most critical real estate related issues and topics facing Florida.
Florida housing market levels off in August
Florida’s housing market showed signs of leveling off in August, with tightening inventory and rising prices helping offset slight declines in closed sales. Closed sales of single-family homes fell about 1.5% from August 2025, while closed sales of condos and townhouses declined just under 2%, according to Florida Realtors® Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor. New pending sales of single-family homes also dipped, ending 12 consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Still, O’Connor said the latest numbers look more like a market settling into a steadier pace than one taking a significant turn for the worse. [Source: Florida Realtors]
Florida’s ‘sleepy fishing village’ gets a $2 billion makeover as luxury buyers swoop in
Located between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, the former “sleepy fishing village” of Pompano Beach, FL, has transformed into a haven for luxury-branded residences, while still retaining much of its old-world charm. More than a dozen major real estate projects are currently underway in the city (population of 118,000), spanning branded luxury complexes, commercial development, and even a $2 billion 70-acre transformation of the downtown area. [Source: Realtor.com]
Florida real estate billionaires on Forbes 400 worth collective $52B
Florida’s real estate titans are once again commanding a sizable share of the state’s billionaire wealth. This year’s Forbes 400 list boasts five Florida billionaires in the real estate industry collectively worth $52.2 billion, with fortunes ranging from $4.5 billion to $21.5 billion and most residing in South Florida. [Source: The Real Deal]
Five Florida metros lead in out-of-area new-home views
Florida’s new-home markets are capturing attention well beyond their local boundaries. Five Florida metro areas rank among the nation’s top six for the share of new-construction listing views coming from out-of-area shoppers. The Lakeland-Winter Haven area topped the country during the second quarter of 2026, with 83.1% of its new-construction listing views coming from shoppers outside the metro area, according to a Realtor.com report. [Source: Florida Realtors]
Homes sales of $10 million and up are breaking records in South Florida
Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have seen surging demand for luxury homes over the last year. New data from the Miami Association of Realtors shows Miami-Dade is on track this year to break its record for $10 million home sales, which was set in 2021. And Palm Beach County has already set a new $10 million-and-up home sale record for itself in 2026. As of the end of August, 194 homes had sold for $10 million or more in Miami-Dade County, already exceeding the number of $10 million-and-up home sales last year. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
STAT OF THE WEEK
$3.5 million
One of the last remaining single-family homes on St. Petersburg’s Mirror Lake hit the market on Friday for $3.5 million after undergoing extensive renovations. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
› Habitat for Humanity to build 40 affordable townhomes in St. Petersburg [Spectrum News]
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is building a 40-townhouse affordable housing development in St. Petersburg The development, called Pelican Place, is intended for residents who qualify for affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity said residents will not pay more than 30% of their income, meeting their standard for affordable housing.
› Jacksonville Area Legal Aid debuts new assistance tool for city’s renters [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Renters in Jacksonville can now see a history of code violations on properties around the city through a new tenant assistance online portal from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. The system, the Jacksonville/Duval Rental Registry, allows for searches to determine whether properties or property owners have a history of code violations or eviction filings. The portal is open to the public. City Council members and JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski debuted the registry at a Sept. 18 news conference, saying JALA was stepping in to fill a role that the city could not
› Special assessments: what Miami condo buyers should know [Islander News]
Worried about how special assessments could put a kink into your condo-buying goal? Do your homework is the bottom line afforded by Li Bensimon, a real estate agent at Bensimon Luxury, affiliated with Compass Florida, LLC, a licensed real estate broker covering the greater Miami metro area and beyond. In Bensimon’s latest report on Miami Condo Special Assessments, released to Islander News this week, of the 10,157 active condo listings in Miami on Sept. 5, 1,890 declare a special assessment. Of the 7,974 listings that answered her polling question at all, that is 23.7%, or roughly 1 in 4.
› Only a handful of Central Florida cities raising property tax rate this year [Orlando Sentinel]
The city of Apopka on Wednesday became a member of a relatively exclusive Central Florida club when city commissioners unanimously voted to increase the tax rate for the upcoming year. Such a property tax hike is rare this year ahead of a statewide vote in November asking residents whether they want to slash property taxes. The only others to approve, or consider approving, such increases are the Lake County cities of Umatilla and Tavares, and Casselberry in Seminole County. The county governments in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole and other local cities plan no tax rate hikes in a year when property tax cuts have dominated political discussions.