Florida state lawmakers hoped to encourage the development of affordable housing with the passage of the Live Local Act earlier this year. However, zoning laws enacted this month by the Orange County Commissioners will stifle that growth, according to Akerman Real Estate Partner Carolyn Haslam.

On Aug. 8, the county adopted new zoning laws that restrict developers who use the Live Local Act to build on commercial property within 100 feet of a single-family home to building only townhomes or quadplexes. Haslam, who represents one of several developers affected by the county's decision, told officials the new policy is too restrictive at a subsequent county meeting.

“It essentially throws almost every project that qualifies for Live Local into the townhome standards. For a parcel like this, you can’t even qualify for the tax exemptions if you do a townhome project. So it essentially makes the Live Local Act unworkable for the vast majority of those commercial sites," Haslam is quoted as saying by GrowthSpotter, a central Florida-focused real estate publication.