Some St. Petersburg Residents Without A Home After Not Being Able To Afford Rising Rent

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The St. Petersburg Tenants Union held a protest outside city hall Thursday night that their demands for rent control remain the same after the city disapproved rent control in a recent vote.

Demonstrators, some of them now homeless because of St. Pete's skyrocketing rent increases of $400, $800 and above, told WTSP they are prepared to occupy a tent city if their demands for city leaders to declare a housing state of emergency are not met.

Camille Law said to the TV outlet that she can't find anything affordable after becoming homeless four months ago, and the rent at the old property has increased by $800 since she left.

Mayor Ken Welch's office said 69 percent of people making 50 percent of Annual Median Income (AMI) spend the majority of their income on rent.

The St. Pete Tenant's Union will continue to pressure the St. Pete City Council until there is an affordable working solution for the residents.

Karla Correa with the St. Pete Tenant's Union, told WFLA that it's going to take the power of the people to pressure the city into doing the right thing because they're not going to do it on their own.

"We have a completely new group of people running the city now, and it may take a little time to get things going," City Councilman Richie Floyd said at the demonstration.

Welch said in a statement that identifying solutions in St. Pete is a top priority, and they are actively working to implement new programs.

Additional programs will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Welch.