JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — What do you consider affordable rent?
Affordable housing is a hot topic in Florida and is often called a crisis. First Coast News is on your side asking about the price of properties one local legislator says needs to be looked at.
State Representative Angie Nixon made a post on social media, opening up a broader discussion about what is and is not affordable rent. Her post is about shipping container apartments in downtown Jacksonville. What caught the attention of Nixon is they cost nearly $1200 for 320 square feet and are owned by one of the largest property managers in the county.
"My reaction was, 'Wow, that's not affordable to me, especially with the square footage,'" Nixon told First Coast News.
The homes on East Ashley Street are priced $3.70 per square foot. That is more than a dollar more per square foot than other new downtown apartments.
But Jacksonville Wealth Builders President Alex Sifakis says for downtown, $1,182 a month, even for a 320 square foot space, is affordable.
"People don't rent apartments by square foot, they rent them by the unit," Sifakis told First Coast News. "We really believe that this is the most affordable housing in downtown that we're able to deliver."
Nearby, a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment at The Carling is close to $1400 for 760 square feet. Vista Brooklyn's one bedroom/one bathroom apartments start at over $1500 for just under 600 square feet.
University of North Florida Professor David Jaffee says his research finds corporate landlords are to blame for the affordable rental housing crisis.
"You have to get a handle on the institutional investors, the corporate landlords, because they control the supply," Jaffee said. "I know people who can find apartments; they can't afford them."
Sifakis disagrees.
"It's not corporate landlords that are driving up home prices and rents," he said. "Rents are being driven up by market demand because we don't have enough supply."
As vice chair of the city's affordable housing subcommittee, Sifakis says he'll work to make Jacksonville an affordable place to live.
One of the parts of the Live Local Act is to distribute $700 million to affordable housing projects. Nixon says that money has not been distributed yet.