WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Help may be on the way for those across South Florida struggling to pay their bills and find housing.
Previously, WPTV reported on a four-county housing Task Team, where commissioners from Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties work together to help alleviate the affordable housing crisis.
In addition, WPTV has learned at least three out of the five counties in the viewing area, including Palm Beach County, have created or are in the process of creating incentives for developers to build more affordable housing units. The others are St. Lucie and Indian River.
"If a developer will come in and keep, say 40% of his units, whether its multi-family or single-family homes in affordable housing, they are eligible for certain incentives, whether that’s impact credits, a density bonus, " Indian River County's Commissioner Susan Adams, who oversees District 1, said. "We’ll work with them to figure out what works for them."
Adams said there already are some developers looking at that right now.
"The good thing is, you’re providing affordable housing in a neighborhood that most people wouldn't think is an affordable housing neighborhood, and I think that’s really the key for some of these affordable housing projects," Adams said. "Just because you need an affordable housing program doesn’t mean that you can’t be part of just a regular neighborhood."
In St. Lucie County, commissioners previously told WPTV they requested that developers who want to build in the county provide a percentage of the new construction for workforce/affordable housing. A spokesperson said details are still being finalized, and added the County does not have jurisdiction in the cities.
In Palm Beach County, Jonathan Brown, the director of Housing and Economic Development, said since June of 2022, they've dedicated more than $35 million to developers to create more affordable housing.
"Whether it's the construction of new multi-family or single-family homes, or the acquisitions and rehabilitation of homes," Brown said.
Brown said the process works like this: developers can respond to a request for proposal from the county if they're interested in the program. Those developers would then submit applications and compete for sometimes millions of incentive dollars.
The county would pick the winning developer, and fund the construction of some, if not all units.
"The more affordable housing units they provide, the more competitive they score," Brown said. "We need as much affordable workforce housing as we can, everyone sees it.”
It's a problem seen first hand by Mark Parilla and his friend, Kathryn Brown.
Parilla was Brown's property manager, a job he loved until many tenants were unable to keep up with the rising rent.
"Crazy hikes in the rent," Parilla said. "I mean, I was having people coming into my office, a surgical tech, a teacher, talking about where are they going to go?”
One of those tenants was Brown, a single mom of three. She was supposed to be served an eviction notice, even though she brought cash to the leasing office the day her rent was due.
"They [the company] said, 'What about next month's rent?' " Parilla said. “When they came for my girl ... I could not ... I'm not going to do this."
Parilla refused to serve Brown's eviction notice, and said he was fired for it.
"I didn’t realize it, he didn’t tell me at first," Brown said.
It was clear tthat Parilla didn't regret his decision, instead: laughing it off. He said he was happy to get fired if it meant helping Brown and her children, and bringing attention to an issue facing so many across south Florida.
"He's my guardian angel," Brown said. "My kids fell in love with him. The first day I met him they said, ‘Hi Uncle Mark! “I'm just happy he was there."
Brown was able to keep her home, thanks to Parilla's efforts.
"I'm just praying it will get better," said Brown.
Until it does, the two, who have now formed an unbreakable bond, are happy to have each other.
"I'm thankful to God that he’s here for me," Brown said.
"You have a good one. I love you, I love you, I love you," she said to Parilla.