What the Twin Cities tell Tallahassee/Leon about how stifling development hits home
A recent Wall Street Journal analysis offers a stark, real-world lesson in housing policy — one that Tallahassee and Leon County should be studying closely. […]
Author: redtape
Posts by redtape
Inside Alachua County’s code chaos
The inspection dispute that unfolded on a jobsite in Alachua County wasn’t an isolated flare-up. It was a window into a system that has drifted far from what Florida law requires. […]
Fear over facts: Leon County once again votes to make housing scarcer
Leon County residents say they want affordable housing. They say they want workforce housing. They say they want to prepare for the 42,000 new residents projected in the decades ahead. […]
Ft. Walton Beach – a Florida city that might be doing code enforcement the right way
Red Tape Florida spends plenty of time calling out local governments that weaponize code enforcement. Some cities treat it as a quiet revenue stream. Others use it as a punitive tool. Many hide the entire process behind opaque notices, magistrate hearings, and a wilting stack of certified letters. […]
Special report: When local governments block private inspectors, consumers pay
Homeowners across Florida are being punished for doing something the Florida Legislature actually wants them to do: hire licensed private-sector inspection and plans review professionals to keep construction moving. […]
ADVOCACY: Opposing growth AND being an affordable housing advocate don’t mix
If there’s one truth that emerged from our four-part interview with housing expert Dr. Sam Staley, it’s this: Florida doesn’t have a housing demand problem — it has a housing supply problem. And the reason we’re not building enough homes isn’t economics or interest rates or evil developers. It’s the result of deliberate choices made by local governments — and by the residents who pressure them.[…]
BREAKING: Rep. Jason Shoaf tells Gulf County to start following state law
State Representative Jason Shoaf is weighing in on Gulf County’s controversial $500 “administrative fee” on private building inspectors — and he’s not mincing words. In an exclusive statement to Red Tape Florida, Shoaf said the practice “isn’t good government” and urged every local government in Florida to “start following state law.” […]
OEV 2025 scoreboard: A goose egg
Why aren’t Tallahassee-Leon leaders demanding better performance from a $5-million-a-year organization that hasn’t landed a new business in 2025?[…]
ADVOCACY: Tallahassee must stop allowing permitting officials to dodge the use of email
For months, Red Tape Florida has heard the same complaint from people who deal with Tallahassee’s permitting system: the City goes silent on email whenever things get sensitive. […]
Special Report
There is a running joke among Florida builders that you can erect a 300-unit apartment complex faster than you can get a permit to fix a shed. It’s funny until it isn’t. […]