ORLANDO — In a recent poll by Politico, most registered voters, both Democrat and Republican, reported that addressing housing costs would improve their lives. 

What You Need To Know

  • Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' primary focus is on increasing the housing supply. She aims to build 3 million new homes by the end of her first term

  • Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's plan focuses on slashing inflation and eliminating costly regulations. He wants to reduce mortgage rates

  • Some voters say they haven't heard enough discussion about housing and rent costs

However, since the start of the presidential race, some of those voters said they haven't heard candidates discuss the cost of rent and housing enough. This was a key topic at the statewide Florida Housing Coalition's annual Statewide Affordable Housing Conference.

Housing leaders and stakeholders discussed how candidates can best support solutions to the housing crisis.

Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kimberly Overman, a Democrat, leads the Housing Leadership Council of Tampa Bay. The organization was one of many participating in the conference held recently. They discussed the prominence of this issue.

“How families manage their finances, to be able to put a roof over their family's head, is critically important to most voters these days,” said Overman.

Both campaigns are aware of this issue, but they have different approaches to addressing it.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' primary focus is on increasing the housing supply. She aims to build 3 million new homes by the end of her first term. Additionally, Harris plans to expand tax breaks for developers who build low-income housing and provide downpayment assistance for some first-time homebuyers.

“I know what homeownership means, and sadly, it is out of reach,” Harris said in her latest ad on housing.

Jeff Brandes is a Republican and former state senator. He founded the Florida Policy Project, a nonpartisan research institute that has studied affordable housing.

“I don’t think either candidate has a clear solution for how we are dealing with housing right now and how to actually maximize the units that we need in order to meet the demand for housing,” said Brandes.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's plan focuses on slashing inflation and eliminating costly regulations. He wants to reduce mortgage rates, open limited portions of federal land for new home construction, and decrease housing demand through immigration policies.

“They don’t have the American Dream anymore. They can’t buy a house; they borrow the money because of the cost of the money,” Trump said during his appearance at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.

When it comes to housing, Overman says older residents may be the most vulnerable.

“If you're 80-something years old and you can't afford your insurance and your property taxes and your home cost any longer, you are at risk of becoming homeless. And that's a serious crisis in the state of Florida,” said Overman.

Brandes stresses the importance of collaboration at the federal, state and local levels to drive improvement.

“From the day you are elected till the day that you leave office, it’s going to take about eight years for us to turn the tide. It’s a challenging issue we’ve got to have some leadership,” said Brandes.

Both express hope for a long-term commitment to resolving the issue, regardless of who wins the presidency.