TAMPA, Florida — Several Tampa neighbors are fed up with the state of affordable housing.
They decided to push the city council to implement a resource other cities in Florida already have, which is a tenant advocacy office.
Council members voted to draft an ordinance after demands from housing groups.
"It's a big win," said Robin Lockett, regional director of Florida Rising Tampa Bay. "It's all about the people."
Tampa's office could look much like the one in Miami-Dade County, which just recently launched one month ago according to staff.
In that office, there are at least three staff and members who connect tenants to departments or outside agencies to help with specific issues ranging from evictions, retaliation or discrimination from landlords.
However, it does not provide legal advice or representation and is separate from existing county departments, staff said.
"[There's] so much information out there. So many programs," Lockett said. "It's a lot, so having this office will consolidate that information to one place."
Housing advocates like members of Florida Rising believe this consolidated resource is needed, especially for seniors struggling to navigate the web or tenants at risk of being thrown off the streets by a certain time frame.
City staff is expected to have a draft of the ordinance ready by Aug. 4. For now, the council is planning to invest $400,000 into the office.
Some council members question how effective the office in Miami-Dade County has been operating, however, others believe rapid information is needed when tenants are days away from being thrown out.
The city also sought to explore a landlord registry modeled in Gainesville. While it didn't move forward from a council vote, the option is still not off the table.