ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners are set to discuss a proposal that would put rent controls on November’s ballot.

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Commissioner Emily Bonilla, who proposed the initiative said the plan would cap rent increases at 5% next year – about an $85 increase for the average one-bedroom apartment – for any landlord who owns more than four units.

The measure comes after months of complaints from tenants that they were being priced out of their homes.

In the past 12-months rents have risen between 25% and 30%, compared to a typical annual increase of 2% to 5%.

A report released last week called current rent conditions a “crisis” but stopped short of calling it an “emergency,” which is required by state law to make rent controls legal.

While the wording of the report isn’t binding, Bonilla said it appeared to seek ways to maintain the status quo.

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“I’m hoping that now we can really step up and do some innovative change,” Bonilla said.

The report went on to say that rent controls alone won’t fix the current crunch, because of the high demand created by more people moving to Central Florida from states like New York and California.

According to census data, Orange County adds approximately 1,200 people per week – or 24,000 households per year – yet, the consultant’s study found only 12,000 housing units are built annually.

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Bonilla knows rent controls won’t fix everything but said Orange County needs some combination of overhauls to give families a fighting chance.

“We can’t just do the rent stabilization, hope all of our problems are solved,” she said. “There are many things we should be doing.”

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Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings agrees that tackling the high cost of rent is a complex issue.

“The takeaway is that there are market conditions that are outside of a local government’s control, to be able to really effectively control rent,” Demings said.

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