Publicly-Owned Land and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) - Housing Coalition Training Overview - Part 1

Sep 15, 2026

A Housing Coalition training overview explains how Florida public entities can use publicly owned land to support affordable housing, emphasizing inventory and disposition requirements under Florida statutes. It introduces Community Land Trusts (CLTs) as a framework for permanent affordability and describes how local governments can identify eligible land, adopt best practices, and apply strong land disposition policies. The session covers key factors affecting suitability, including infrastructure access, dimensions, and amenities proximity, plus resiliency considerations such as flood and hazard risk.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages37

Reading Time1 h 33 min

AccessFree to download

Part 1: Using Public Land for Affordable Housing

The basics: what public entities can hold land?

State requirement: inventory of public land for affordable housing

What does “appropriate for affordable housing” mean?

Best practices for surplus land programs

What can be done with public lands placed on the affordable housing inventory list?

Publicly-Owned Land and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) HOUSING COALITION Dayna Lazarus Technical Advisor Florida Housing Coalition About the Florida Housing Coalition • Statewide nonprofit organization that is primarily a training and technical assistance provider to local governments and nonprofits on all things affordable housing • Our work covers: • Compliance with local, state, and federal affordable housing programs • Affordable housing program design • Capacity building for nonprofit housing providers • Land use planning for affordable housing • Research & data gathering • We provide free training & technical assistance to you under the Catalyst Program THE FLORIDA HOUSING COALITION Community Land Trust Institute • Established in 2000, the Community Land Trust Institute (CLT Institute) is a trusted resource for local governments, nonprofits, and lenders seeking to support, establish, or enhance Community Land Trusts (CLT) and permanent affordability programs • The CLT Training and Certification Program provides essential training covering the foundational principles of shared equity (CLT) and hands-on guidance for establishing or improving CLT operations through: o Promotion of best practices; and o Encouraging the standardization of key documents and procedures . • Certification for individuals and organizations dedicated to developing and stewarding permanently affordable housing made possible through partnership with Freddie Mac THE FLORIDA HOUSING COALITION Part 1: Using Public Land for Affordable Housing Every jurisdiction in Florida has the obligation to plan for housing for its entire current and anticipated population. This includes the provision of adequate sites for future housing, including affordable workforce housing.– Fla. Stat. Chapter 163.3177(6)(f) relating to Comprehensive Plans THE FLORIDA HOUSING COALITION The basics: what public entities can hold land? • Municipalities-S. 2(b), Article VIII of the Florida Constitution – Municipalities have the power to acquire and dispose of real property for a valid municipal purpose that is not expressly prohibited by law. • Counties-F.S. 125.35(1) . Expressly authorized to sell and convey any real or personal property, and to lease real property • F.S. 125.379. Disposition of county property for affordable housing. • F.S. 125.38. Authorizes counties to sell or lease land to nonprofit entities for nominal or below-market value . • Community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) -F.S. 163.370. acquire and dispose of property in accordance with the goals and plans of the CRA • Housing finance authorities-F.S. 159.608. can own and use real property for affordable housing purposes . • School boards-F.S. 1001.43(12) . Can use land deemed not usable for educational purposes, to provide sites for affordable housing; HB 1389 expands Live Local Act to School Boardowned land, and land owned by religious institutions • State agencies • Special districts THE FLORIDA HOUSING COALITION State requires “Inventory of public land appropriate for use as affordable housing” In 2025, Florida State Legislature passed the Live Local Act, including F.S . 125.379 (for counties) and F.S . 166.0451 (for municipalities) . Contains: (1) Land identification requirement includes: • Fee simple ownership of any dependent special district within its boundaries • Review of list by governing body, public hearing, and resolution for list • Make the inventory list publicly available on its website (2) Best practices (3) Land disposition options What’s the point of the affordable housing land inventory requirement?! Accountability ; Transparency ; To encourage the use of as much publicly owned land as possible for affordable housing purposes THE FLORIDA HOUSING COALITION What does “appropriate for affordable housing" mean? • F.S. 125.379 and F.S. 166.0451 require counties and municipalities to “prepare an

FAQs

Which Florida laws require jurisdictions to create an inventory of public land for affordable housing?

Counties and municipalities must prepare an inventory list under F.S. 125.379 and F.S. 166.0451. The inventory includes qualifying real property held by the jurisdiction or dependent special districts within their boundaries.

What is the purpose of the affordable housing land inventory requirement?

The requirement increases accountability and transparency and encourages the use of publicly owned land to create as much affordable housing as possible.

What factors help determine whether public land is appropriate for affordable housing?

Key factors include development readiness, access to infrastructure, physical dimensions, and proximity to amenities. The session also highlights walkability (e.g., quarter-mile, half-mile, and one-mile ranges) and resiliency considerations such as floodplain versus floodway, flood insurance, and hazard risk.

Sep 15, 2026

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