The median single-family home in Florida now costs $410,000 — roughly six times the state's median household income and far above what was already stretched before the pandemic. In Southeast Florida, only 14% of renter households can afford to buy. The gap is not a mystery. Government regulations add an estimated $93,000 to the cost of every new home through permitting delays, overlapping zoning codes, impact fees, and bureaucratic red tape. Construction costs have surged 57% since 2015, driven in part by compliance requirements that do nothing to make homes better — just more expensive.
Meanwhile, years of reckless federal spending inflated prices beyond what working families can bear. Mortgage rates above 6% have locked a generation out of homeownership. Even with rates stabilizing, the monthly payment on a typical Florida home still consumes nearly 30% of median household income. The American Dream did not die on its own. It was priced out of existence by Washington and the regulatory state.
Chris Gleason will fight for federal incentives that force states and municipalities to streamline permitting, eliminate redundant building codes, and reform zoning laws — tying infrastructure funding to real reform that actually builds homes.
Sources: FL Realtors · NAR · NAHB · Census Bureau · Freddie MacInstitutional investors now own over 117,000 single-family homes in Florida. In the first half of 2025, nearly one in three homes sold statewide went to an investor — the highest share in five years. In Tampa Bay, entire new-build neighborhoods constructed by Lennar Homes were sold directly to Invitation Homes before a single family could place a bid. These are not mom-and-pop landlords. These are Wall Street operations backed by $85 billion in institutional capital, buying in bulk, extracting maximum rent, and answering to shareholders instead of neighbors.
The result is predictable: Tampa rents surged 44% between 2020 and 2023, well above the 24% national average. MetLife projects institutional investors could control 40% of all single-family rentals by 2030. Nearly 905,000 low-income renter households in Florida are already spending more than 40% of their income on rent. The goal is a nation of permanent renters, not owners. And the families who saved for years, did everything right, and showed up to bid never had a chance.
Chris Gleason will codify the Trump executive order banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes into permanent law, push for a federal excise tax on bulk residential purchases, and require disclosure of beneficial ownership for every residential transaction — ending the shell companies that hide Wall Street's footprint.
Sources: Redfin · MetLife · Invitation Homes 10-K · John Burns ResearchEven if you can afford to buy, owning a home in Florida has become its own financial crisis. Homeowners insurance premiums average $3,815 a year — 148% above the national average. Non-renewal rates spiked 280% between 2018 and 2023. An estimated 15% to 20% of Florida homeowners now go entirely without coverage because they simply cannot afford it. Property taxes drain another $2,800 a year. And Florida's 48,000 homeowner associations have the power to fine you $100 a day, lien your property, and foreclose on your home over disputed fines as low as $1,000 — even when you are current on your mortgage.
Robert M. in Cape Coral paid off his house in 2011. Today, his property taxes and insurance together cost him more per month than his mortgage ever did. David and Lisa K. in Kissimmee spent $8,000 in legal fees to keep their home after their HOA threatened foreclosure over a fence that was two inches too tall. These are not edge cases. This is the system working exactly as it was designed — for the insurance lobby, the tax collector, and the HOA attorneys. Not for the families who live there.
Chris Gleason will fight for a federal Homeowner Insurance Bill of Rights, push for SALT expansion and property tax protections for seniors, and pass legislation prohibiting HOA foreclosure on primary residences for amounts under $5,000.
Sources: Insurance Information Institute · FL OIR · NAR · FL HB 913Your family shouldn't have to outbid BlackRock for a three-bedroom house. Chris will end corporate housing monopolies.
“We saved for seven years. When we were finally ready, every house we bid on went to a cash buyer within 48 hours. We later found out the buyer was a subsidiary of a Wall Street investment fund. We never had a chance.”Maria and Carlos R. · Tampa, FL · First-Time Buyers, Together 12 Years
The housing crisis is not a free market outcome. It is the predictable result of a system rigged against the people who actually live in these homes, raise their children in these neighborhoods, and pay taxes in these communities. Regulations built the wall. Wall Street bought the house. Insurance and HOAs charge you rent on something you already own.
Chris Gleason is running for the United States Senate because Florida families deserve a Senator who will tear down those barriers — not a politician who takes campaign contributions from the same corporations pricing you out.
Help Chris fight back against the hedge funds, the regulators, and the politicians who let this happen.
Every dollar you contribute funds the fight to stop Wall Street land grabs, slash the red tape that drives up prices, and make homeownership possible again for Florida families.
Read the Full Plan — Eight Policy Planks, Evidence, and the NumbersEvery dollar fuels the fight. Every volunteer multiplies our reach. Florida deserves a Senator who answers to the people.