600 apartments in suburban Tampa become first Hillsborough project to move forward under Live Local Act
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 9, 2023

A 600-apartment proposal for the next phase of a mixed-income project in suburban Tampa is the first in Hillsborough County to move forward under Gov. Ron DeSantis' Live Local Act.

Orlando-based MMI Development says it has received Hillsborough County's first approval to move forward to permitting under the Live Local Act. Among other things, the legislation allows developers who are building on land zoned for mixed-use and commercial projects to circumvent the local approvals process if they designate 40% of their units to those making up to 120% of the area's median income. It became law on July 1 and is meant to address Florida's housing shortage by allowing developers to deliver apartments faster — and set some units aside for workforce and attainable housing.

“This is exactly the type of project that the Legislature envisioned for the Live Local Act,” Jacob T. Cremer, a partner at Stearns Weaver Miller in Tampa, said in a statement. “The county’s comprehensive plan calls for more affordable housing in this area, and the consistent theme in our meetings with the community has been that housing in the neighborhood is becoming unaffordable.”

Cremer and Nicole Neugebauer, an attorney at Stearns Weaver Miller, represent MMI.

The next phase of Progress Village will add 606 residential units at Progress Boulevard and Falkenburg Road, just west of Interstate 75. This portion of the property was zoned for commercial and industrial development.

“We are excited to work with Hillsborough County to bring this innovative project to the Progress Village neighborhood,” Mike Wright, MMI president, said in a statement. “The Live Local Act will allow us to bring these units to market years quicker and much more cost-effectively than we would have been able to otherwise.”

The Tampa Bay region is only beginning to see the effects of the Live Local Act. In Plant City, where officials have twice denied plans to redevelop a shuttered golf course, a developer has submitted a new plan for the property under the Live Local Act.