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Growth, Housing, and Who Gets the Final Say

Out here in Southshore, we might know a little something about development. If you’ve been here longer than a minute, you’ve watched a dozen new neighborhoods, businesses, or storage units pop up almost overnight. Growth has become part of daily life, and not everyone agrees on how much is too much.

That tension is at the heart of Florida’s Live Local Act. The law was created to fast-track affordable and workforce housing by allowing developers to bypass local zoning rules if their projects meet certain criteria. Supporters say it cuts through red tape and helps address the housing shortage. Critics argue it takes decision-making power away from the communities that have to live with the consequences.

This week, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to challenge the law in court, saying it strips counties of local control. Leaders worry Live Local could lead to dense multifamily developments in rural and suburban areas without the infrastructure, planning, or public input to support them. They say affordable housing matters, but so does having a say in where and how growth happens. Honestly, Southshore might be case and point.

So where do you land? Should the state step in to accelerate housing wherever possible, or should local communities like Southshore keep control over what gets built next door?

Click here to keep the discussion going on Facebook.

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What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Southshore Spotlight

F.E.L.T. INC Feeding Empty Little Tummies

Feeding Empty Little Tummies (FELT) is a nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger by packing and delivering weekend meals to food-insecure students in Manatee County one backpack at a time. Their volunteers and community partners work together to make sure kids who rely on school meals still have food to eat on the weekends.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

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Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

(Updates are almost finished. We’ll be ringing in the new year with a new look and an easier interface to help you locate the best of what Southshore has to offer.)

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Your Restaurant

New menu items, promos, specials, events- feature them here. This is the place to tell 30,000 readers in Southshore what you've got. Only 20 spots for the year. Claim yours today.

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Our area high schools boast state champions and multiple division titleists. Come out and show your support for these teams and for our community.

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.