Saunders' initiative badly needed to retain Keys workers

One of the many problems that Monroe County encounters in trying to retain working families is establishing a reasonable rent so they can afford to live here.

Currently, private property owners can obtain building permits to construct work-force housing, provided they agree to certain deed restrictions. Some property owners are reluctant to agree to the terms because they may reduce the value of the property.

To add to the challenge, property taxes for rental properties are higher than those of owner-occupied homes, which are protected by a 3 percent cap on increases in appraised value each year under the state Save Our Homes Act.

Save Our Homes has been a tremendous help in keeping taxes down for full-time resident homeowners. But the result is that owners of commercial properties and rental properties have taken up the slack when government budgets swelled.

While on the campaign trail, newly elected state Rep. Ron Saunders outlined his intention to ease the tax burden for landlords, as an enticement to offer affordable monthly rental rates. Saunders is making good on that promise, announcing that he plans to propose a bill in next year's session of the Florida Legislature that will give a break to landlords of affordable rentals.

We commend Saunders for hitting the ground running with this issue. As Sanders is well aware, if we do not control the affordable rents in Monroe County and increase the number of affordable homes available, we will suffer the loss of workers at every level.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Saunders' impact on a monumental problem for which Monroe County needs help from Tallahassee.

— The Citizen