Submitted By: James Haynes
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Presentation By: James Haynes
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Department: Community Housing Services
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FORMAL TITLE:
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Resolution 2027-8 to approve an amendment to the City of Ocala’s Local Housing Assistance Plan for 2025-2028
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OCALA’S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Operational Excellence, .
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PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND:
The Florida Legislature passed the Sadowski Act in 1991 to create a trust fund to finance state and local affordable housing initiatives, managed by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) grant is funded through this act and distributed to counties and qualifying municipalities in Florida. Recipients of SHIP grant funding must present a three-year housing plan that indicates how, over the grant period, the recipient will program the funding and address the barriers to producing and sustaining affordable housing. The City’s 2025-2028 Local Housing Action Plan (LHAP) was approved by City Council on April 15, 2025.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:
On June 26, 2026, Governor DeSantis signed SB 594 into law (effective July 1, 2026). This new law becomes part of the SHIP program moving forward. This imposes new requirements for the SHIP program beginning with Fiscal Year 2026-27. The changes are related to mobile homes and parks and include:
Requiring every LHAP to include a strategy to address manufactured housing (mobile homes)
The new strategy must include:
Relocation assistance for owners/tenants who have been evicted due to the closure of a mobile home park
Lot rent assistance to owners of manufactured housing/mobile homes not to exceed six months
Rehabilitation/emergency repairs
Repeals the SHIP 20 percent cap on manufactured housing
The City’s LHAP has been amended to address these requirements. Staff recommends approval
FISCAL IMPACT:
Without submitting the plan, the City would not be eligible for future SHIP grant funding.
PROCUREMENT REVIEW:
N/A
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