A proposal before the commission Thursday would remove bonuses for projects too close to market rate.
By Dania Hefley
Original Air Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Manatee County’s efforts to get affordable housing built has produced thousands of new units. But most of them are still out of reach for most working families. This Thursday, Manatee County could eliminate some incentives for developers of workforce housing for tenants earning more than 80 percent of the area’s median household income. The intent is to instead promote construction of truly affordable housing for those making less. Dania Hefley explains.
Dania Hefley: An item deferred from Tuesday’s Manatee County Commission meeting is now expected to be folded into Thursday’s broader discussion on changes to the county’s Land Development Code.
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Commissioner Ballard’s proposal would remove certain incentives and density bonuses for affordable housing units aimed at residents earning between 80 and 120 percent of the Area Median Income, or AMI.
Currently, county policy includes incentives for developers who build affordable housing. But some critics argue that those incentives aren’t necessary for households earning between 80 and 120 percent AMI because, as one staff summary puts it, “affordable housing at these income levels is very similarly priced to market-rate housing.”
Incentives at that level are “neither necessary nor appropriate” given current market demand. For perspective, 120 percent AMI for a single person in 2024 is about $84,000 a year—enough for a rent payment of roughly $2,300 a month. The average rent in Manatee County currently ranges between $1,600 and $1,800.
During the discussion of the deferral, Commissioner George Kruse clarified the issue.
Amanda Ballard
George Kruse: The board, as a whole, is 100 percent in agreement on it. It’s just a matter of how we manage it, but it also doesn’t fit into Livable Manatee because Livable Manatee has to do with impact fees. We’ve already removed it over 80 percent for impact fees. The issue we’re trying to do is remove the density bonus portion of it, and that doesn’t fall into Livable Manatee.
DH: Mark Vengroff, CEO of One Stop Housing, supports narrowing the focus to families with the greatest need.
Mark Vengroff
Mark Vengroff: One of the things that I’m hoping that they bring up is that the requirement should be to keep the rent at 80 percent or below so they become affordable, but don’t restrict the income of the tenant that’s going to live in there so that you can create the opportunity for people to start living the American dream.
DH: He added that overly restrictive policies can trap tenants rather than help them move toward stability.
MV: It used to be when people were living in an apartment and apartments were less expensive, they could put money away each month and hopefully save for their dream home. But with rents being so high, they never have anything left over. The idea is, if you’re able to allow people at all income levels to move into apartments at a lower rate, that allows them to save, and then they’ll—by natural progression—move out, buy a place, live the American Dream and make room for the next family to move in.
DH: For WSLR News, Dania Hefley.
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