After Florida banned cities and counties last year from regulating the ‘landlord-tenant’ relationship, gutting dozens of local tenants’ rights laws around the state, city leaders in St. Petersburg began brainstorming ideas to fight for more protections for residents who are being priced out of the city.
On Thursday, St. Petersburg City Council approved a new resolution that they hope will help accomplish that without running afoul of state law. The citywide resolution, approved in a 7–1 vote — with term-limited Council member and Florida House candidate Ed Montanari dissenting — basically asks the city administration to “consider” negotiating pro-tenants’ rights language into agreements they enter into with affordable housing developers.
The resolution was drafted by the city’s legal team, and explicitly notes that it “is not intended to regulate landlord-tenant relationships in any manner that would be preempted by Florida law.”
“I don’t think it can get any clearer than that,” quipped Council Member Gina Driscoll, in response to complaints from Montanari, who said he feels this resolution is “clearly preempted.”