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5 Shocking Truths From The 2025 Shimberg Center Report That Will Reshape Your View Of Florida's Housing Market

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As of December 2025, the housing landscape in Florida is undergoing a dramatic transformation, according to the freshly released 2025 Annual Report from the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. This powerhouse research center, based at the University of Florida, provides the most critical, data-driven insights into the state's ever-volatile housing market, with their latest findings confirming a significant upswing in construction but persistent challenges in affordability. The new report is essential reading for policymakers, developers, and every Florida resident concerned about the cost of living and the availability of safe, decent housing. Established in 1988, the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies has a singular, vital mission: to promote safe, decent, and affordable housing for all Floridians through rigorous research and data dissemination. The center is the definitive source for understanding housing policy, planning, and the complex dynamics of the Florida housing market. Their latest publications, including the 2025 Annual Report and the 2025 Rental Market Study, offer a detailed, current snapshot of the forces shaping the state's residential future.

Key Researchers and The Center’s Core Mission

The Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, housed within the University of Florida, operates as a critical nexus for data on the Florida housing market. Its team of experts leverages extensive data to inform public policy and address the state's acute affordability crisis.

Core Team Leadership and Expertise

  • Anne Ray: Serving as the Interim Director, Anne Ray is also the manager of the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse, directing the Center's efforts to collect and disseminate comprehensive housing data. Her work is central to the annual reports and housing needs assessments.
  • Maria Watson: An Assistant Professor in the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management and an affiliated researcher, Maria Watson contributes specialized knowledge on construction and housing dynamics.
  • Jim Martinez and Diep Nguyen: Application Programmers who are vital in managing and analyzing the vast datasets that underpin the Center's research.
  • Doug White: Another key member of the team, contributing to the Center's research and outreach efforts.
The Center’s foundational work, since its establishment in 1988, revolves around producing objective, timely, and policy-relevant research. This includes detailed studies on housing production, rental market trends, and the specific needs of assisted rental housing populations across Florida.

The 2025 Housing Market Reality: Production Boom vs. Affordability Crisis

The headline finding from the 2025 Annual Report is a clear, data-backed signal that new home and apartment production in Florida is surging. This is a crucial development in a state that has struggled for years to keep pace with demand from a rapidly growing population.

1. Single-Family Home Production Skyrocketing

The report highlights a significant boom in construction, with nearly 140,000 single-family homes being built per year across both 2023 and 2024. This robust production rate is an indicator of developer confidence and an attempt to meet the high demand driven by both in-state growth and migration.

2. Price Stabilization—But Only at High Levels

While the Center’s data suggests that the dizzying pace of housing price growth may be stabilizing, the underlying issue remains: buying a house is still financially out of reach for a vast segment of the population. Stabilization means prices aren't climbing as fast, not that they are becoming affordable for low- and moderate-income families.

3. South Florida Remains the Epicenter of Housing Deficits

The analysis confirms that the South Florida region—specifically Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties—continues to grapple with the largest affordable housing deficits in the state. These metropolitan areas are ground zero for the mismatch between wages and housing costs, intensifying the need for targeted policy solutions.

The Impact of the Live Local Act and Rental Market Dynamics

A key focus of the Shimberg Center’s recent research is evaluating the real-world consequences of major legislative changes, particularly the Live Local Act, a landmark Florida law designed to spur affordable housing development.

4. The Live Local Act is Reshaping Development

The 2025 study provides initial insights into how the Live Local Act's tax exemptions and zoning preemption provisions are influencing local development. This legislation, which aims to fast-track affordable housing projects, is demonstrably shaping development patterns, though it also creates tension with local government control through 'local opt-out' provisions. Researchers are closely monitoring whether these incentives translate into a meaningful increase in truly affordable units.

5. Critical Insights from the 2025 Rental Market Study

The companion 2025 Rental Market Study provides a deep dive into the state of rental affordability, which is often the most immediate crisis point for low-income Floridians. The Center has previously estimated that hundreds of thousands of renter households in Florida face severe cost burdens. The latest update details the current supply and demand dynamics, breaking down affordable rental housing needs by county and demographic group. This data is crucial for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and other agencies working to allocate resources effectively.

Future Directions and Research Focus

The Shimberg Center is not only focused on reporting current data but also on forward-looking research that addresses systemic issues in the housing sector. Their ongoing projects and publications consistently tackle the multifaceted nature of the housing crisis.

Current and Ongoing Research Entities

  • Residential Property Ownership: Researchers are actively studying residential property ownership trends, examining who owns what and how this affects market stability and affordability.
  • Housing Needs Assessments: The Center regularly produces detailed housing needs assessments for specific counties, such as the comprehensive study conducted for Miami-Dade County in late 2023. These reports provide hyper-local data essential for municipal planning.
  • Achieving Affordability Through Design: A continuous research theme is how better project design can lead to both affordability and healthier housing outcomes, linking construction management with public health goals.

The data from the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies confirms that Florida is at an inflection point. While housing production is finally accelerating, the structural deficit in affordable housing—especially for renters and low-wage workers in major metro areas—persists. The 2025 reports serve as a powerful, non-partisan resource, guiding the next steps for a state determined to solve its most pressing economic and social challenge.

5 Shocking Truths from the 2025 Shimberg Center Report That Will Reshape Your View of Florida's Housing Market
shimberg center for housing studies
shimberg center for housing studies

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