{"id":446140,"date":"2026-11-03T14:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/446140\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T14:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:14:10","slug":"fort-lauderdale-live-local-developers-not-always-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/446140\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Lauderdale: Live Local developers not always welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two words are striking fear and loathing into some\u00a0neighborhoods across South Florida: Live Local.<\/p>\n

The state law that aims to boost affordable housing takes away local control over where high-rise projects can be built, forever altering the quality of life for the surrounding neighborhoods, opponents say.<\/p>\n

But fans of the Live Local Act argue it addresses skyrocketing rents and a severe shortage of affordable housing throughout the state \u2014 even though some local officials and residents say some of those residential towers are going up in places they don\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n

Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen argues the city needs to join with other municipalities to help change or repeal the Live Local Act in an effort to safeguard their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impacts on our infrastructure, roads, sewage, water are massive,\u201d Sorensen said during a recent City Hall meeting. \u201cAnd this is being forced down our throat.\u201d<\/p>\n

But supporters of Live Local argue it\u2019s providing desperately needed<\/a> housing.<\/p>\n

The law took effect on July 1, 2023, and is set to expire on Oct. 1, 2033.<\/p>\n

So far, 26 projects with a total of 10,000 housing units are under construction and another 238 projects with a total of 70,000 units are in the pipeline, said Keith Poliakoff, a land-use attorney who has represented several Live Local developers.<\/p>\n

Without Live Local, those projects would have never been talked about or even shown up on a blueprint, Poliakoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, this is a win for Florida,\u201d Poliakoff told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. \u201cWe need to recognize that projects of this magnitude don\u2019t happen overnight. Financing, permitting and construction take time. The real measure of success will be how many of these units are ultimately built and made affordable to working families. But without the Live Local Act, many of these projects might never have gotten off the drawing board. This is meaningful progress toward addressing one of the greatest challenges facing Broward County and the entire state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developers like Live Local because it bypasses restrictive zoning and allows them to skip the normally required public hearings where elected officials can request tweaks to projects or block them altogether, Poliakoff said.<\/p>\n

In addition, the law provides developers with financial incentives via property tax exemptions and sales tax savings.<\/p>\n

Based on recent studies, Broward County is short 147,042 affordable housing units, Poliakoff noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the Live Local Act, Broward County risks becoming a place where people can afford to work but cannot afford to live,\u201d he said. \u201cTeachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and young families are increasingly being priced out of our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The county cannot expect to sustain a strong local economy if the very people who keep it running are forced to live elsewhere, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Live Local Act provides critical incentives for private investment to create much-needed housing that might otherwise never be built,\u201d Poliakoff said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t simply a housing issue \u2014 it\u2019s about Broward County\u2019s economic future, the strength of our workforce, and preserving the opportunity for future generations to live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the angst over Live Local has been on the rise as more people come to understand its impact.<\/p>\n

A chorus of angry critics<\/a> packed a town hall meeting last year to tell Fort Lauderdale officials what they think of the plan to remake Galleria mall into a site with eight towers, all 30 stories high.<\/p>\n

Mayor Dean Trantalis called the town hall meeting to educate the neighbors about the state\u2019s Live Local law. Many vented, demanding the city do something to stop the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat project is a nuclear bomb,\u201d one angry resident told the mayor before a packed crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be honest with you,\u201d Trantalis said at the time. \u201cI have nightmares thinking about this project. We do not need another 3,200 units plopped right there in the middle of our community. We have directed city staff to find any opportunity to downsize this project and make it compatible with the neighborhood. That\u2019s their mandate.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the city\u2019s hands were tied, the mayor explained at the time.<\/p>\n

And to a great extent, they still are, he admits today.<\/p>\n

The law allows developers to bypass the normally required public hearings and zoning approvals as long as at least 40% of the residential units qualify as workforce housing.<\/p>\n

Under Live Local, it\u2019s not commissioners or planning boards that greenlight projects, but city staff. That means controversial projects can avoid the sometimes marathon meetings that come when opponents show up at public meetings to speak against a proposed high-rise tower.<\/p>\n

The controversial Galleria project<\/a> was recently approved by city staff.<\/p>\n

Staff approval is not automatic.<\/p>\n

Developers are required to meet all technical requirements and local regulations, including setbacks, building codes, environmental impacts and stormwater management reviews.<\/p>\n

\"ResidentsResidents listen to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis during a town hall meeting at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club on Oct. 28, 2025. The topic: A proposed redesign of the Galleria mall. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Poliakoff, who does not represent the Galleria developer, says he understands why some folks don\u2019t like<\/a> Live Local.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents don\u2019t like the state Legislature usurping local government control over its land use and zoning,\u201d he said. \u201cThey like to be able to have more input into whether or not certain developments will go into their community. And since the state has taken away that control, residents don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parts of Fort Lauderdale with commercial zoning are now fair game for developers who want to build Live Local projects on land where it wouldn\u2019t have been allowed before, Poliakoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents don\u2019t feel like they have a say in height or density,\u201d he said. \u201cThat power has been taken away from them \u2014 and the commissioners too. That\u2019s a scary proposition for a commissioner to realize all these units are being built without their oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a state representative, Chip LaMarca says he backed Live Local for good reason: It jolted private developers into building affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislation is not perfect and nothing is,\u201d said LaMarca, whose term ended on Nov. 3. \u201cI get it. But at the end of the day, the private sector is going to be the most efficient at building affordable housing. And this gave them that tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other cities, Fort Lauderdale has a master plan that dictates where high-rise towers can go. But with Live Local, that plan is somewhat upended, Trantalis and Sorensen say.<\/p>\n

In general, Fort Lauderdale commissioners are not opposed to density \u2014 they are opposed to density in the wrong places, Trantalis says.<\/p>\n

Under Live Local, there are now several high-rise projects planned<\/a> on or near Southeast 17th Street, Sorensen noted.<\/p>\n

\u201c17th Street is an F-rated road,\u201d\u00a0he said. \u201cThere are five Live Local projects proposed in proximity to 17th Street. It is already a traffic nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

If those five projects get built, Sorensen predicts a host of problems, including longer emergency response times along with a strain on the city\u2019s sewer and water infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The other problem: A lack of neighborhood compatibility, he argues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a fantastic master plan for our city,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cAnd we ask that the Legislature respect local authority and neighborhood input on where they think density is best and allow us to grow in those areas. That has served us as a city very well. You see density downtown. You see more density coming up north on some of our main corridors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen also took aim at the allowed income for eligible renters of Live Local projects, saying it\u2019s way too high.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now it\u2019s at 120% of area median income, (well over) $110,000,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is not workforce and affordable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the Live Local Act, developers can bypass height and density rules if they reserve at least 40% of their residential units for workforce housing for a minimum of 30 years.<\/p>\n

Households qualify if they make between 80% and 120% of the county\u2019s area median income.<\/p>\n

Based on the county\u2019s current median income of $102,500, renters eligible for the workforce housing apartments can earn anywhere from $82,000 to $123,000 a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake it real affordable housing,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cNot 120% of AMI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen argued the maximum cap should be at 60% or 70% of the county\u2019s area median income. That would make the workforce housing apartments available to renters making up to $61,500 or $71,750.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn aerial view of downtown Fort Lauderdale on March 23, 2026, looking south on Andrews Avenue toward Broward Boulevard. The city needs another large sewage lift station to accommodate a growing downtown. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Daphnee Sainvil, Fort Lauderdale\u2019s intergovernmental affairs division manager, told the commission the city had come up with a plan to seek changes to the Live Local Act that would allow for building heights to be stepped down next to low-rise neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Under the current Live Local Act, a large development can sit right next to low-rise neighborhoods, she noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are asking that building heights step down and that local design measures apply,\u201d Sainvil said.<\/p>\n

Sorensen interjected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not enough, city manager,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to go much harder, much stronger against Live Local.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barbra Stern, an attorney and future mayoral candidate, praised Sorensen for speaking up about the problems with Live Local.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, to your credit, I think it\u2019s really important to get a grip on this,\u201d Stern said. \u201cThis is not going to be just a Broward County issue. If we\u2019re going to look at a coalition, I think we need to look at a coalition of the tri-county area to get up there (to Tallahassee). Strength in numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The consequences of Live Local need to be addressed on a regional scale, Stern argued.<\/p>\n

Under the state\u2019s Live Local Act, developers can match the currently allowed height of a commercial or residential building up to a mile away in an effort to boost affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your tallest building is eight stories, that\u2019s one thing,\u201d Stern said. \u201cIf your tallest building is 47 stories or 50 stories, it\u2019s a completely different ballgame. One size does not fit all for Live Local. The coastal communities are going to be dealing with it the worst because we have the tallest buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stern said she also had grave concerns about what the future holds as the county\u2019s area median income rises.<\/p>\n

In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the county\u2019s area median income was $68,600, she noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell during COVID everybody moved to Florida and our home values went up,\u201d Stern said. \u201cOur area median income this year is about $102,000. What do we think it\u2019s going to be three years down the road from now when these projects are built? Probably $120,000 and $130,000. It\u2019s not just going to level out at $102,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stern pointed to the abundance of luxury towers that have cropped up in downtown Fort Lauderdale over the past several years, with more in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building luxury condos and apartments left and right in downtown Fort Lauderdale,\u201d she said. \u201cWho can afford to live there? People making higher salaries. It\u2019s going to be driving the AMI up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Sorensen, Stern suggested the salary cap for Live Local\u2019s eligible renters be somewhere between $60,000 to $80,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to look at what actual income levels are and not AMI,\u201d Stern said.<\/p>\n

The Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations sent an Oct. 19 letter to the commission urging the city to push for needed changes to the Live Local Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Live Local Act is an example of legislation with good intentions but unintended consequences,\u201d wrote William Brown, president of the organization, which represents more than 40 neighborhood associations throughout Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new units being developed as \u2018affordable\u2019 may command rents of roughly $2,800 per month for a two-bedroom apartment, which is comparable to market-rate housing in many areas of Fort Lauderdale,\u201d Brown wrote. \u201cIn some cases, similar two-bedroom apartments in existing buildings are available for less.\u201d<\/p>\n

A one-size-fits-all law fails to recognize significant geographic and local differences, Brown added.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s letter urged Live Local\u2019s shortcomings be addressed in the following ways:<\/p>\n

\u2014 Limiting eligible projects to locations closer to established high-density areas.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Prohibiting Live Local developments in areas where infrastructure capacity is inadequate.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Reducing the maximum tenant income eligibility threshold to 100% of AMI.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Requiring municipalities to administer and monitor affordable housing units developed under the Act.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Restoring stronger local government oversight of development approvals.<\/p>\n

In signing off, Brown made one last plea: \u201cCommunities such as ours should have the flexibility to rely on proven local programs and, ideally, should be exempt from the provisions of the Live Local Act altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen told the Sun Sentinel he has already reached out to local legislators about \u201cfixing\u201d Live Local.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told them we need to change this,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they are saying they\u2019re open to discussion. They understand the pain it\u2019s causing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two words are striking fear and loathing into some\u00a0neighborhoods across South Florida: Live Local. The state law that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,28,249,251,250,114,266,109],"class_list":["post-446140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county","tag-florida","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}