St. Pete Housing Summit Targets Treasure Coast Affordability Fixes

A statewide housing affordability summit scheduled for St. Petersburg this April could shape the policy debate affecting homebuyers and renters across Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, where attainable housing has grown increasingly scarce.

The Florida Policy Project, a nonprofit organization, has announced the speaker lineup for the Florida Housing Solutions Summit, to be held at The James Museum in St. Petersburg. Tickets range from $50 to $150, with sponsorship packages available from $1,500 for a table to $20,000 for a presenting sponsorship.

Speakers include housing researchers, legal experts, nonprofit leaders and policy analysts — among them Lesley Deutch, managing principal at John Burns Research and Consulting, and Mike Sutton, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside. Other confirmed speakers include Ilana Blumsack of Americans for Prosperity, Andrew Gothard of YIMBY Action, and housing researcher and author Kevin Erdmann.

The summit's organizers say the event builds on prior gatherings where more than 350 stakeholders convened, with this year's focus on policy innovation, cross-sector collaboration and scalable solutions. Attendees can also access a discounted room rate at the Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown St. Petersburg.

For Treasure Coast families, the policy outcomes of events like this can carry real consequences. Zoning reform, attainable housing incentives and state funding formulas discussed at the summit level often flow directly into local decisions in Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Vero Beach.

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