Project Two
Marley Burke
3465 11 St. N
Saint Petersburg, Fl 67423
(727) 555-5555
maburke7@asu.edu
27th April 2022
Richie Floyd
St. Pete City Council Member
175 5th St. N.
Saint Petersburg, Fl 33701
Dear Mr. Floyd;
It is no secret that rent prices in Saint Petersburg have skyrocketed over the last year and are doing nothing but continuing to increase at an alarming rate. We have seen a 24% increase in rent since 2021, which is the third highest rate in the nation (Moore, 2021). St. Pete residents are being forced out of their homes, and crucial aspects of our community are at risk. People in our own neighborhood are facing unstable housing, eviction, homelessness, and immense emotional damage from this crisis at a higher rate than a majority of our country. Community members that have been living here for years, if not their whole lives, are suddenly being presented with rent prices that amount to over half of their income. This is why I am writing to you, and asking you to listen to the requests of your constituents who are advocating for a change in our city. Saint Petersburg needs to implement rent control for the safety, financial security, and emotional well-being of its people.
Rent control is crucial to getting the St. Pete rent crisis contained. It is a government practice that enforces ranges that landlords can charge for rent, and allows for scheduled rent increases. The rates and time periods for scheduled increases are directed by a city-appointed rent board that details the guidelines (Srivastav, 2021). This system is extremely beneficial because it provides both residents and landlords with a form of stability. It also offers tenants peace of mind knowing that their cost of living will not suddenly surpass what they can afford, while also allowing the price of housing to fluctuate as the economy does. Cities that have implemented rent control in recent years have seen extreme reductions in homelessness and poverty, and an influx of consumerism (Liu & Chang, 2021). An increase of consumerism is extremely beneficial to our local economy. When money is saved by a lower cost of living, it allows community members to better support local businesses and causes.
The main reason that rent control is the best course of action for St. Pete to take is affordability. You may feel that this is a glaringly obvious statement, and that's because it is. Affordable rent prices are mutually beneficial for both St. Pete and its residents. As I previously mentioned, more affordable rent prices mean that consumers will have more money to spend in our area. This allows residents to aid in the process of building a healthier local economy (Liu & Chang, 2021). Additionally, affordable rent prices aid the prevention of displacement (Bungalow, 2022). This allows long term tenants and community members to continue living in the area that they reside in, and build a strong, tight-knit community.
Another reason rent control is the best option is due to its positive impact on neighborhood stability. Areas that have higher amounts of rent controlled units have significantly lower turnover rates. This type of long term residency helps grow strong community ties which benefits the prosperity of neighborhoods (Bungalow, 2022). Neighborhood stability is also another way rent control can contribute to a struggling economy. Areas with low residency turnover rates draw people out to more events within their community as there are more people that they know within it (Irvine, 2018). People want to feel comfortable and safe in the community that they live in. It is important to have long term residents to achieve that, and rent control would significantly aid any efforts or attempts made in that direction. The more familiar one is with the people that their surrounding areas are built on, the more realistic that goal is.
If you don't know about the theory of six degrees of separation, it is the theory that everyone in the world is connected by six social interactions or less (Bryner, 2012). You may have experienced it while telling stories about your friend who knows a guy, that knows this other guy, that knows this other guy's cousin that’s friends with that one famous guy in the commercial you see all of the time. It’s essentially a chain of acquaintances that can connect you to anyone else on the planet. Although this may be just a theory, living in St. Pete has provided me with all of the evidence I need to hear to take it as the truth. Living in a tight-knit community where it feels like everyone knows each other is a complete privilege, as it provides you with a sense of safety and security.
Many people associate rent control with the idea of rent caps. This is when there are set prices for rent, and landlords are not allowed to change their prices. That doesn’t leave room for the price of rental housing to rise and lower alongside the economy as other rent control tactics do. The reason they are associated is likely due to the first generation of rent regulations which relied more on rent caps, rather than rent regulation practices (Srivastav, 2021). People look down on rent control due to its association with its early efforts in the 1920’s, despite there being studies dating back to the 1980’s on the overwhelmingly positive results that rent control has on housing supply and local consumption (Kennedy, 1988). When rent control was in the early stages, it was mainly through the practice of rent capping, which as mentioned, did not allow housing prices to fluctuate with the economy. This changed when rent control started including rent regulation practices that involve ranges of rent rates, and scheduled rent increases. This gives tenants the opportunity to prepare for any increases in the price of their rent, and feel assured that their rent will not unexpectedly become more than what is affordable to them.
Some may argue that rent control is unrealistic due to the red tape that surrounds it, and many think that it is impossible, but that is far from the truth. Florida law says that a state of housing emergency must be enacted in order for rent control to be considered, and anything that goes into effect that may be considered rent control must expire within one year of being formed (Barreto et al., n.d.). There are many issues when one of the main arguments against rent control is that it’s just a little too much effort for politicians to want to do anything about it. Despite the multitude of unresponsive and unmotivated politicians, rent control advocates have been pushing for the enactment of a state of housing emergency through outlets like social media, petitions, and public demonstrations. Many residents have expressed that if their requests for rent control are not fulfilled, their demonstrations will escalate. Over 30 people signed up in one night to create a tent city outside of city hall to further stress the need for rent control in our city. St. Pete mayor Ken Welch has spoken in support of these protestors, and is actively encouraging people to continue the demonstrations (Parnell, 2022). This is a great thing as more people in decision making positions that advocate for rent control will bring light to the ongoing rent crisis, and encourage others to educate themselves and decide where they stand on the issue. People like you speaking up will help other politicians realize that rent control is a cause worth fighting for.
Another proposed solution to the topic is upzoning. The practice of upzoning is when a zoning code is changed to increase the amount of development allowed in the future (Barreto et al., 2021). It is an extremely controversial topic with a lot of discourse surrounding it. There are many reasons one may feel skeptical of its outcomes. To start, developers aren’t likely to take advantage of the spaces being offered to them. This holds especially true in St. Pete where there is limited land space, and much of the land that isn’t developed on has been deemed unsafe as it resides below sea level (Smith et al., 2021). St. Pete is an area that sees many hurricanes, and the vast majority of our city is prone to intense flooding. Most developers are not interested in building on flood-prone land that resides below sea level. Additionally, new market housing rates in up-zoned communities are likely to surpass affordability for low income families (Barreto et al., 2021).
Some feel that the solution to the rent crisis is simply building more additional affordable housing. There are a multitude of reasons this would result in a less desirable outcome than rent control. For one, there is minimal land to build on in St. Pete which means that already built housing, buildings, and other structures would have to be demolished in order for new units to be constructed (Barreto et al., 2021). This is extremely wasteful, and is discarding a lot of resources and money. It is also highly likely to have a negative impact on housing affordability as low-income communities are the targeted areas for this type of housing (Barreto et al., 2021). Low-income communities already have the highest amount of affordable housing to begin with, so the addition of more affordable housing in those areas will further saturate the market.
It isn’t the city, or the location that make our community so special, but the people who reside here whose hands built the buildings and painted their walls. There is something to be said about the history of St. Pete, and the people who have made it what it is today. It is time to face the reality that St. Pete is failing its residents, and it is time to take action to change the course of the rent crisis. Our neighbors are being forced out of their homes at alarming rates, and communities being broken apart. We know the solution, so what is the reason for the hesitation to jump into action? Unlike upzoning, and the building of additional affordable housing, rent control is a realistic approach that benefits tenants and landlords alike, while simultaneously helping the economy. I am urging you to speak with your colleagues regarding this pressing issue, to consider the benefits of implementing rent control in our city.
Sincerely,
Marley Burke
References
Barreto, L., Kirkpatrick, B., & Mcghee, B. (2021). Emerging Strategies in Affordable Housing. Harvard Kennedy School. https://cms5.revize.com/revize/stpete/Government/docs/Harvard%20Kennedy%20Report_DIGITAL_LowRes_05.pdf
Bryner, J. (2012, December 12). Six Degrees of Separation: Fact or Fiction? Livescience.com. https://www.livescience.com/32340-six-degrees-of-separation-fact-or-fiction.html
Irvine, M. J. (2018, June 3). Rent Control is Good, Actually. Medium; Medium. https://medium.com/@mjirv/rent-control-is-goo
Kennedy, D. (1988). Reassessing Rent Control: its Economic Impact in a Gentrifying Housing Market. Harvard Law Review,
101(8), 1835. https://doi.org/10.2307/1341438
Liu, G., & Chang, X. (2021). The Impact of Rising Housing Rent on Residents’ Consumption and Its Underlying Mechanism:
Empirical Evidence from China. SAGE Open, 11(2).
Parnell, M. (2022, February 18). Renters Prepare to Protest with Tent City in St. Pete to Demand Affordable Housing Changes.
Smith, J., February 1, & 2022. (2021, February 1). Making St. Petersburg a Flood Hub for Sea Level Rise, Resiliency. 83Degrees. https://www.83degreesmedia.com/featu
res/University-of-South-Florida-pursues-excellence-in-research-as-Flood-Hub-for-state-020122.aspx
Srivastav, A. (2021, April 27). Rent Control. WallStreetMojo. https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/rent-control/