The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Housing Commission held a public forum in Winter Park, Florida to discuss the state’s response to pressures on Florida’s housing market, where foreclosures are nearly double the national average. According to CoreLogic’s February foreclosure report, the Orlando and Tampa metros tied for the highest foreclosure rate, with 12.3 percent (1 in 8) of homes with a mortgage in some stage of the foreclosure process. In addition, the Commission released new research from the University of California, Berkeley that highlights the complexities and opportunities of the U.S. housing finance system compared to other countries; how different types of regulatory structures may have contributed to the housing boom and bust; and how this data can inform domestic housing policy moving forward.

The forum, held at Rollins College, featured former U.S. Senator and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez, who co-chairs the BPC Housing Commission. It also brought together regional housing experts to discuss Central Florida’s housing market, its effect on the local economy, and implications for the future.

Read the full press release here.

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Read the Report: A Comparative Context for U.S. Housing Policy: Housing Markets and the Financial Crisis in Europe, Asia, and Beyond

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Featuring

The Honorable Mel Martinez
Co-Chair, Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission
Former Senator (R-FL)
Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Agenda

8:00AM - 8:30AM
Breakfast and Registration

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8:30AM-9:00AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Senator Mel Martinez, Co-Chair, BPC Housing Commission

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9:00AM-10:15AM
A Comparative Context for U.S. Housing Policy

• Moderator: Richard Smith, BPC Housing Commission
• Dr. Ashok Bardhan, University of California Berkeley, Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics
• Dr. Cynthia Kroll, University of California Berkeley, Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics
• Dr. Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida Institute for Economic Competitiveness

Presentation Slides: A Comparative Context for U.S. Housing Policy: Global Markets, California, and Florida

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10:15AM-10:30AM
Networking Break

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10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Open Public Forum

Moderator:

• Ed Brady, BPC Housing Commission

Participants:

• Gregg Logan, Managing Director – Director of Community Development Practice Group, RCLCO
• Craig Ustler, President/Owner, Ustler Development, Inc.
• Scott Bernstein, Center for Neighborhood Technology
• Cecelia Bonifay, Chair, Land Use & Sustainable Development Practice, Akerman Senterfitt
• Meaghan Shannon-Vlkovic, VP & Market Leader, Southeast, Enterprise Community Partners
• Scott Miller, Vice President – Debt/Equity, NorthMarq Capital
• Leigh Fletcher, Attorney, Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, PA

For more information and to participate, click here.

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11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Closing Remarks

• Senator Mel Martinez, Co-Chair, BPC Housing Commission

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Read the Report: A Comparative Context for U.S. Housing Policy: Housing Markets and the Financial Crisis in Europe, Asia, and Beyond

In the News

• Bipartisan housing group seeks Central Florida input, Orlando Sentinel
• VIDEO: Mel Martinez leads tour of Orlando's Parramore neighborhood, WFTV 9 Eyewitness News Orlando

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The Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission aims to reform the nation’s housing policy by crafting a package of realistic and actionable recommendations that consider the near-term and address the long-term challenges in the sector.

For more information on past and upcoming regional forums, click here.

For more information on the Jack Kemp Foundation, click here.

Related Reading

• Report: A Comparative Context for U.S. Housing Policy: Housing Markets and the Financial Crisis in Europe, Asia, and Beyond
• Former Senator and HUD Secretary Mel Martinez and the Bipartisan Policy Center to Host Public Forum in Orlando on Housing in America April 17, 2012: Innovative Solutions to Address the Needs of Tomorrow
• Housing Expert Forum: How can housing policy be responsive to today’s urgent needs and simultaneously address long-term trends?

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Housing Commission