St. Petersburg City Council committee advances stronger protections for renters

ST. PETERSBURG — City Council members advanced a proposal on Thursday aimed at strengthening protections under a tenants’ bill of rights for renters who receive government assistance.

On Thursday, the City Council’s Housing, Land Use and Transportation committee approved the additions in a 3-1 vote. It would bring the city’s tenants’ rights bill more in line with one recently adopted by Pinellas County.

Committee chairperson Richie Floyd voted yes along with council members Gina Driscoll and John Muhammad. Muhammad proposed the changes. Committee member and City Council chairperson Brandi Gabbard voted no. The new rules now go before the full council for final consideration.

The issue first came up in December, when the City Council officially opted out of following the county’s tenant bill of rights. St. Petersburg has had a tenant bill of rights for about three years, but Pinellas County adopted its own version in August. Advocates say that ordinance offers stronger protections for renters.

The changes would prohibit landlords from discriminating against prospective tenants who rely on government assistance that lasts less than one year. They would also prevent landlords from rejecting renters who rely on housing choice vouchers because it would increate their insurance costs. They also would give the government 10 days to complete inspections required for certain renters who receive public assistance, instead of the current five-day window.

Also Thursday, Floyd called for standardizing eviction processes for renters in city-owned and city-subsidized housing. While private rental housing is subject to landlord-friendly state law, Floyd said the city could do more to make eviction processes more equal within its control.

He explained how the city goes about evictions at the city-owned Jamestown Apartments, for example, may be different than how evictions are done with affordable housing developments that receive city money.

“We want to make sure everyone is on the same standard with leniency,” Floyd said after the meeting.

Driscoll said she wants to make sure there are no feared any unintended consequences that discourage property owners from offering affordable housing.

Scott MacDonald, Executive Vice President and CFO of affordable housing provider Blue Sky Communities, attended Thursday’s meeting. He said Blue Sky works to avoid evicting tenants, following its mission of providing affordable housing.

“Me and my competitors are more or less on equal footing” when it comes to lenient eviction processes, he said. “Hopefully it’ll at least standardized best practices in the city for affordable housing.”