MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — As Florida’s housing market continues to strain residents, Martin County is exploring ways to make living here more affordable: letting homeowners rent out their guest houses.
WATCH BELOW: 'It will be very site specific,' Assistant County Administrator George Stokus tells WPTV
“I’ve heard a lot of stories of people who want to live here or who works here and can’t afford to live here so they have to be commuters,” said Martin County resident Nick Bangos.
Housing prices and rental costs have steadily risen across Florida, and local leaders say it's time to adapt.
On Tuesday, county commissioners agreed to move forward with policy changes aimed at expanding rental opportunities through accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as guest houses.
“[It includes] primarily changes in definitions of family as well better defining where certain accessory dwellings can and cannot go,” explained Assistant County Administrator George Stokus.
The proposed policy would broaden what qualifies as a rentable unit, which supporters say could be a game-changer for working residents struggling to afford a place to live.
“Tiny homes, container homes, garage apartments, things like that, and now to broaden that use so more people can be impacted to use it as a solution for affordable housing,” said Rob Ranieri, CEO of House of Hope, a non-profit providing food and housing support in Martin County.
According to Ranieri, the need is urgent.
“Over half of our community is living pay check to pay check so things like this are important and impact a large portion of our population.”
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Community members are weighing in on the potential changes, with many voicing optimism.
“I think it’s progress and anything that moves the needle in the right direction, I’m all for it,” said Bangos.
“The insurance rates, the HOAs, everything is getting out of hand and there has to be some alternative to where somebody can live,” added Joe Mancuso, another Martin County resident.
However, officials caution that the new rental flexibility won't apply across the board.
“It will be very site specific as to what you can do and that’s based on zoning and future land use,” said Stokus.
The language of the amendment is still being drafted, but commissioners are hopeful it will be ready and approved before year’s end.
“It’ll help obviously the people who need affordable housing but it’ll also help the homeowners again generating those extra dollars in today’s economy,” Ranieri said.
It's a big move towards expanding housing options in a growing community.
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