Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 8-5-22

Local
Councilman Gudes Drafts Proposals To Ease Rents
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Thursday, July 28, 2022, City Council members voted to move forward with a plan to allow residents to vote to decide whether the city should declare a housing emergency. The vote was 6 to 1, with Coun- cilman Bill Carlson voting against.
The plan will allow residents to decide if Tampa can impose caps on rental increases. If the measure makes it onto the No- vember general election ballot, and if voters approve it, the city would be allowed to cap rent in- creases.
The meeting included several residents that had either been evicted, or on the verge of evic-
tion.Council member Orlando Gudes introduced the plan in the meeting. He also made a motion asking city attorneys to investigate drafting a resolution that will ask voters to consider a five percent rent cap.
The council voted 6-1 to have city attorneys write a formal ver- sion to be read on August 4, 2022. Council will need to ap- prove the ordinance on August 18, 2022, to meet the August 23, 2022, deadline per city of Tampa attorneys. It would then appear on the November 1st bal- lot.
If the ordinance does not make it in time for the Novem- ber ballot, it will have to wait until the March 2023 election.
TAMPA CITY COUNCIL- MAN ORLANDO GUDES
Gudes cited skyrocketing rental rates and spikes in home- lessness in tandem with the re- gion’s growth in recent years. His draft offers two kinds of rent limits, limiting property owners to raising the price of a rental until once a year. In addition, any increase would be capped at 5% or the average Consumer Price Index increase from the previous year, whichever is lower.
Many legal experts state that Florida law gives city limited au- thority to impose rental stabi- lization efforts.
Councilman Gudes ac- knowledged the limits of state laws but feels he must fight for the people of Tampa.
Councilman Gudes stated, “I must do this. People are really suffering and there is no relief. People are going to be homeless or are already homeless. Let the voters decide since they are the ones affected.”
The New Lounge Hosts Back to School Event
On August 7, 2022, The New Lounge, along with The New Family, will host a Family Fun Day Sunday in the park- ing lot of the club with bounce houses, free food, and enter- tainment.
The atmosphere is like a backyard BBQ every Sunday. Since the club is closed, the owner and customers take it outside to enjoy the weather.
Owner Mr. Gambeeno wants to have a family atmos- phere and bring back family values to the community.
In addition to the Back-to- School event, Mr. Gam- beeno urges people to stop by on Sundays for other family activities. Contact Mr. Gam- beeno @ 813-531-2840 for the schedule.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 7-A