Every jurisdiction in Florida has the obligation to provide for housing its entire current and anticipated population, including the most vulnerable, such as those with special needs and farm workers. The Housing Element requirement does not mean that local
governments have to build all this housing themselves. It does mean that local government should use its police powers (to carry out laws for the health and safety of its residents), its land use authority, and its compliance with the spirit and intent of fair housing and affordable housing laws to create an environment in which affordable housing will be provided by the private sector.

The Legislature finds that the median price of homes in this state has increased steadily over the last decade and at a greater rate of increase than the median income in many urban areas. The Legislature finds that the cost of rental housing has also increased steadily and the cost often exceeds an amount that is affordable to extremely low-income, very-low-income, low-income, or moderate-income persons and has resulted in a critical shortage of affordable rentals in many urban areas in the state. This shortage of affordable rentals constitutes a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the state.

Therefore, the Legislature finds that it serves an important public purpose to encourage the permitting of accessory dwelling units in single-family residential areas in order to increase the availability of affordable rentals for extremely low-income, very-low-income, low-income, or moderate-income persons,