How Hillsborough County Got in the Way of Building Affordable Housing

Jim Reynolds is a Tampa Bay home builder who wanted to do something about the affordable housing crisis.

He decided to build low-cost homes on a five-acre site and sought permission to construct more homes than current zoning allowed so the project could pencil out. Months later the project is stalled as Reynolds tries to navigate land regulations and procedures for identifying and qualifying low-income buyers.

“If you’re just a person who wants to do something good, it can be soul-sucking,” said Mike Morina, executive director of Florida Home Partnerships, a non-profit group that builds affordable housing around Ruskin. “It’s just very hard under any condition even if you know how to do it."

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