Image courtesy Pixabay..

Living in this community is often described as paradise. With some of the most famous beaches in the world, a vibrant arts scene, top-level healthcare, and five-star restaurants and resorts, Sarasota and its neighboring counties provide a backdrop for a fine life. But living in a tropical wonderland has its price and can come at a high cost in unexpected ways. 

For years, there have been discussions about the lack of attainable housing—not just in Sarasota but in Florida and nationally. As many people already know, attainable housing is critical to a healthy economy and a community’s success. The Education Foundation has been closely watching the negative impact this has on one specific sector, public school teachers and we believe there are opportunities where we can collectively begin to offer creative solutions for our valued teachers because they guide future leaders: our students. 

The Florida Department of Education lists the current average Sarasota County teacher salary at $68,428. The minimum starting salary is $55,000, and this was an increase approved by the school board on June 18.  While attempts are being made to improve this, many teachers still fall under the category of cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Cost-burdened households have little left over each month to spend on other necessities such as food, clothing, childcare, utilities and health care.

It's a fact that post-COVID Florida experienced a major growth spurt, as people came to Florida where they could safely work and play outdoors. While this was a great boost to our economy, it created a disproportionate need for housing, as did an increase in businesses opening/relocating to the state, and unfortunate events such as Hurricane Ian.

In response to the latter, Sarasota County received a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $201.5 million. $40 million was earmarked for affordable housing and at a July 10 meeting, the Sarasota County Commission allocated about $28 million to five out of the 19 applicants for the Resilient SRQ Affordable Housing Program.

In September, the commission will decide how to redistribute the remaining $11.7 million. The Education Foundation of Sarasota County applied for a grant to build affordable housing for teachers and we’re hopeful that we will be considered for a favorable review at the September meeting.  

Without attainable housing options and without addressing the cost-of-living gap for Sarasota’s cost burdened workforce, our entire community pays the price. We can boast about paradise all we want, but the answer is as clear as our pristine waters: if we cannot attract and retain the best teachers to educate our students, it is Sarasota’s children that suffer the most.

We believe creative solutions can be designed to address this vexing problem, and the Education Foundation is committed to supporting teachers in critical ways, such as providing attainable housing. If you’d like to get involved in developing attainable housing solutions for Sarasota County teachers, please contact me atjvigne@edfoundationsrq.org.

Jennifer Vigne is president and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

Image courtesy Pixabay..