A message from Heart of Florida United Way President and CEO, Jeff Hayward

Jeff Message

With Governor DeSantis allowing the state eviction moratorium to expire, our community is now deferring to the CDC’s eviction moratorium to keep families impacted by economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis from becoming homeless. Although the executive orders from the Governor provided a longer runway for some families to get back on their feet, there are plenty who are still in crisis, unemployed or furloughed. 

In allowing the state eviction moratorium to expire, thousands of households in Florida could be in jeopardy of losing a roof over their heads if the Federal Court overturns the CDC’s national moratorium. We would urge Governor DeSantis to stand ready to issue a new executive order in the case there are no protections to keep people in their homes.

This is a two-sided issue that impacts both tenants and landlords alike who are faced with uncertainty and financial strain. 

It is clear that this is a national crisis that warrants a response from the federal level in order to address the needs of both tenants and landlords. Only the federal government has the resources and uniform authority to address this holistically — as opposed to local solutions continuing to band-aid the situation. Congress needs to come together for the sake of tenants and landlords alike by supporting legislation such as that filed by Congresswoman Val Demings, which would apply an automatic eviction moratorium to all rental properties and foreclosure moratorium to all federally backed mortgages for locations under a federal declaration of an emergency. As a social service organization working with families who are distressed, panicked, overwhelmed and feeling hopeless, we implore that Congress pass a new relief package that includes both landlords and tenants.

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