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Clearwater advisory board recommends opting out of Live Local 80–120% AMI tax exemption for 2026
Summary
The Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board voted Nov. 18 to recommend that City Council opt out of the Live Local ad valorem exemption for units targeting households at 80–120% of area median income for calendar year 2026, citing a regional surplus of units in that income band.
Clearwater’s Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board voted on Nov. 18 to recommend that the city opt out of the Live Local Act property-tax exemption for rental units serving households earning 80–120% of area median income for calendar year 2026.
Dylan Mayu, introduced in the transcript as the housing manager, told the board that the Schimberg Center for Housing Study shows a surplus of affordable and available rental units in the Tampa–St. Pete–Clearwater MSA for households in the 80–120% AMI band. "We wouldn't see that translate into more units," Mayu said in explaining staff’s view that the exemption would mainly benefit existing property owners rather than incentivize new development.
The resolution as presented would request that the Pinellas County property appraiser not apply the Live Local ad valorem exemption to eligible properties within the City of Clearwater for the 2026 tax year; staff stated the measure, if adopted, would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026 and expire Jan. 1, 2027. Board members questioned whether the exemption applied to new development or existing recipients; Mayu said the exemption is automatic for properties meeting Live Local criteria but staff previously recommended opting out and are returning with a resolution to cover 2026.
After discussion, a board member moved to recommend approval of the opt-out resolution and the motion was seconded. The board voted vocally in favor ('Aye') and the chair declared the motion carried; the transcript records a vocal aye but does not include a roll-call tally.
The board's recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action. City staff said the recommendation is what would be presented to council for a decision at its next opportunity.
