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Escambia commissioners pick Warrington Senior Living as county's LGAO pick for Florida Housing 9% credits
Summary
After hearing three proposals, the board ranked Warrington Senior Living first and voted 5'0 to forward the project as the county's Local Government Area of Opportunity designation to Florida Housing.
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners ranked three competing affordable-senior housing proposals and selected Warrington Senior Living as the county's preferred Local Government Area of Opportunity (LGAO) project to accompany a 9% tax-credit application.
National Core (represented by Oscar Paul) described a four-story, 96-unit development at 701 S. Old Quay Field Road with a projected $30 million investment and an affordability mix targeting seniors at 60% of area median income and below, including some units at 40% AMI. National Core emphasized public outreach, supportive services, and local subcontracting commitments.
Keystone and Lea Gardens also presented their projects; staff noted differences in site control and past application histories. County staff explained that a single LGAO designation can give an application competitive leverage in Florida Housing's scoring and that resubmittal preference can matter in future cycles, but none of the three applicants held a current resubmittal preference because they had not been the prior year's local designee.
After commissioners submitted ranked ballots, Warrington Senior Living received four first-place votes and the board moved to forward it as the county's LGAO selection; the motion passed 5'0.
Why it matters: A local designation can materially improve an applicant's competitiveness for scarce 9% tax credits, and the chosen project would bring subsidized senior units into a CRA area with proximate services. Commissioners requested further due diligence and emphasized the county's expectation that developers maintain long-term commitments to property management and community standards.
