Where do Miami candidates stand on controversial Live Local housing law? We asked | Opinion

When the Herald Editorial Board interviewed candidates running in August’s legislative primaries in Miami-Dade, we made sure to ask about the Live Local Act, the state law passed in 2023 to address Florida’s housing shortage.

Many voters dislike Live Local because it allows developers to build faster and more easily by skirting local zoning limits on density and height. Developments qualify under the law if at least 40% of their projects are designated as workforce housing rentals — units affordable to people making up to 120% of the Area Median Income (roughly $104,000 annually for one person in Miami-Dade).

Will Live Local lower rents in South Florida? The jury is still out on that, but most of the candidates we spoke to made it clear that some tweaks to the law may be necessary. Our endorsements in legislative races have not yet been published. Here’s a recap of what the candidates said:

Senate District 34 Democratic primary

Ashley Gantt: Voted against Live Local in 2023 when the Florida House, where she currently serves, passed it. She didn’t like the loss of local control. “I don’t think cutting corners makes sense when we live in a peninsula, and when we are actually experiencing climate change.”

Christine Sanon-Jules Olivo: Supports Live Local because it cuts red tape to advance workforce housing, but "with restrictions.” She wants more concessions from developers on infrastructure and hiring local: “... Fine, we’re going to cut a few red tapes, but I need you to give back to our community.”

Candidate Shannan Ighodaro did not attend the Editorial Board interview.

House District 106 Democratic primary

Lucia Baez-Geller: Wants to repeal or significantly change the law to address development in Miami Beach and on other environmentally sensitive barrier islands. Live Local is a “one-size-fits-all solution that does not take into consideration the unique character of all the different parts of Florida.”

Ashley Litwin Diego: Wants major reforms to Live Local and would repeal it if it can’t be fixed. “I think it came from a good place but, in the end, the way that it’s been done is not working.”

House District 108 Democratic primary

Daphne Campbell: Would amend Live Local “to better target truly affordable housing, while protecting our neighborhoods and limiting urban sprawl. We need smart growth that expands affordable housing, preserves green space and invests in infrastructure.”

Dinah Escarment: Is against it. Although she supports the goal of building more affordable housing, Live Local is “trying to override local laws... There should be certain places where properties are placed, and no one should be able to override the zoning and local ordinances.”

Peter Walsh: Supports the law but said he would “reach out to the best experts in the country, put together a think tank... to come up with a real solution that really works for local housing, not jamming people into high-rise buildings.”

House District 109 Democratic primary

Satin Fye: Said Live Local “needs more oversight,” and she’s concerned about farmland in rural parts of Miami-Dade being converted into housing. In urban areas, “when you develop this sort of workforce housing, I would like to make sure that... we’re also not pushing folks that have already been in the community out.”

Broadway Harewood: Supports the law as it’s written because there is too “much red tape” in development approvals, which are delayed by reviews by local government departments.

John Taylor: Supports the creation of affordable housing but would repeal Live Local because it “took away local government’s input, and we’re the ones on the ground. We know what our communities need.” (Taylor is the mayor of Opa-Locka.)

Candidate James Bush III did not attend the Editorial Board interview.

House District 113 Republican primary

Bruno Barreiro: Said Live Local has “good intentions” but was a “knee‑jerk reaction” to the housing crisis and needs to be “at least minimally fine-tuned, if not substantially redone.” Development “has to be in places where the infrastructure is proper to deal with, you know, substantial increases in density.”

Tony Diaz: Called the law the “Live Local Scam” because, he said, developers don’t have to do their fair share to support local infrastructure. “I want to repeal it, or I want to amend it to the point that it becomes useless.”

Frank Lago: Said the law is creating more rentals, but he believes those new units will rent at market rates, not at truly affordable prices. He wants incentives for homeownership and the construction of housing targeting people making 60-80% of the Area Median Income (up to $75,000 annually for one person in Miami-Dade) and a special consideration for barrier islands.

House District 113 Democratic primary

Gloria Romero Roses: Supports reforming Live Local with incentives for housing construction for families making under $75,000, state financing so developers can include more affordable units in their projects, state building code reforms to facilitate the development of small “throwaway lots” and a gradual return to local control when communities meet housing goals.

Justin Mendoza Routt: Said the law isn’t working as intended and would reform it because he sees “tremendous overdevelopment” and luxury condos that only “squeeze in” cheaper units. He wants to lower the income threshold for workforce housing to 100% of the Area Median Income instead of 120%, and wants to calculate it based on the median income at a particular ZIP code instead of a city or county. “I’d like to see a reform that requires developers to work with the local community.”

House District 118 Republican primary

Marco Insua: Supports Live Local but did not elaborate.

Mike Redondo (incumbent): Sponsored the latest update to the law, which expanded eligibility for Live Local projects to land owned by a government, school district or religious institution. He said the need for more housing is “acute” and “the solution has to be a greater supply of housing.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 1:41 PM.