Hernando affordable housing committee to meet Thursday in Brooksville

The county panel that helps shape Hernando’s affordable housing policy will gather in Brooksville as rising housing costs continue to squeeze renters, first-time buyers and employers trying to keep workers close to job sites.

Hernando County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the County Commission Chambers at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 N Main Street. The meeting is open to the public, and the county says residents who need special accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact Lisette Gardner at 15470 Flight Path Drive, Brooksville, Florida 34604, or call (352) 754-4000, Ext. 20122.

The meeting matters because Florida law gives the AHAC a direct role in the policy chain that reaches from county rules to housing supply. Under section 420.9076, the committee must review policies, ordinances, land development regulations and the comprehensive plan every three years and recommend specific actions or incentives to encourage affordable housing while protecting property values. The committee must have at least eight members and no more than 11, and Hernando County established its panel under Ordinance No. 2004-01.

That makes the May 14 session more than a routine public notice. In Hernando, where housing prices, lot availability and development pressure have been recurring concerns, the committee’s recommendations can influence whether a teacher, nurse, firefighter or young family can still afford to stay in the county. The county’s Local Housing Assistance Plan says the housing program is meant to serve very low-, low- and moderate-income households, expand and preserve affordable housing and support the county’s housing element in the comprehensive plan.

The committee’s work is tied to the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, program, which Florida Housing says serves all 67 counties and 55 cities in Florida, with a minimum county allocation of $350,000. Hernando County’s housing pages describe SHIP as part of a broader system that depends on partnerships among government, lenders, builders, developers and service providers. County postings in March and April showed the county was still recruiting for AHAC vacancies, including seats for banking or mortgage banking, essential services, for-profit affordable housing providers and labor actively engaged in home building.

The May 14 meeting comes after an AHAC public hearing held Nov. 13, 2025, and amid a wider county planning effort that includes the 2024-2026 Consolidated Plan, which says housing planning is used to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions. With the Hernando County Housing Authority, Housing and Supportive Services and other housing-related bodies all operating in parallel, the committee’s recommendations remain one of the county’s clearest chances to turn affordability concerns into action.