ABSTRACT
The 2004 hurricane season in Florida and resulting development of low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects in the years following the disaster are used as a case study to examine how public policy can influence redevelopment during recovery. The extent of housing losses in Florida after four hurricanes hit within six weeks, costing billions of dollars in property damages with hundreds of thousands of low-income housing units damaged or destroyed, clearly demonstrates the risks associated with coastal development for this vulnerable population. To identify the influence of public policy on development patterns and assess the risk associated with government directives, a content analysis of Florida’s Qualified Action Plans for the LIHTC program from 2004 to 2010 was undertaken and results revealed that in the first year counties in the direct path of the hurricanes were given development preference. In 2006, the second year after the disaster event, preferences were expanded to more heavily populated counties, such as Miami-Dade. The location of new LIHTC developments built between 2005 and 2010 were then analyzed to determine how many had been approved and built in locations that would be impacted by storm surges from Category 3 or 5 hurricanes. More than two-thirds of new LIHTC projects post-2004 were constructed within storm surge boundaries, suggesting the need for proactive site planning from public and private stakeholders during the pre-construction phase of LIHTC development, or a shift in public policy to give preference to locations that are not as vulnerable to flooding.
