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St. Petersburg Housing Authority hosts summit to attract more landlords

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Published  June 3, 2025 5:30pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News
Housing authority hosts landlord summit

Housing authority hosts landlord summit

New buildings are going up, but the supply of affordable housing is going down. The St. Pete Housing Authority hosted a landlord summit, and finding the right landlord may be apart of the solution. Lloyd Sowers reports.

The Brief

    • The St. Petersburg Housing Authority hosted a summit to attract more landlords.
    • As Downtown St. Petersburg booms with new hotels, restaurants and other businesses, the supply of affordable housing is dwindling.
    • St. Pete has around 950 landlords in the Section 8 program, but they need many more to put a dent in what they say is a widespread problem.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Mia Kolar owns a small mobile home park with 15 units in St. Petersburg, and she rents them out.

"It's a great investment first of all, and I also wanted to help people," says Kolar. 

Mia Kolar owns a small mobile home park with 15 units in St. Petersburg.

On Tuesday, she attended a landlord summit hosted by the St. Petersburg Housing Authority.

Big picture view:

The agency is trying to tackle a growing issue. As Downtown St. Petersburg booms with new hotels, restaurants and other businesses, the supply of affordable housing is dwindling.

"We're always looking for more landlords," says Larry Gonzales of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority. He says there are benefits for landlords who sign up for Section 8 Housing, like being sure they get their rent money. "If the tenant loses their job and can't afford to pay, we will come in and pay the entire rent," says Gonzalez.

Kolar says she's faced challenges with certain tenants, but it comes with being a landlord. She says she's still learning. "I came here today to see what I don't know," says Kolar.

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority hosted a summit to attract more landlords.

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St. Pete has around 950 landlords in the Section 8 program, but they need many more to put a dent in what they say is a widespread problem. 

"The problem in St. Pete, as well as throughout the United States, is affordable housing. There's a lack of affordable housing," says Gonzalez.

The St. Pete Housing Authority currently has 9 thousand people on its waiting list.

Gonzalez says it can take 4 to 5 years for Section 8 tenants to get a home or apartment in the program.

What you can do:

He encourages interested landlords to contact the St. Petersburg Housing Authority.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers.

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