Seminole County Invests $1.05 Million to Complete 146-Unit Affordable Apartments in Sanford

Seminole County commissioners have approved a $1.05 million local investment to complete Riverbend Landings, a 146-unit income-based apartment complex in Sanford's Midway neighborhood, as working families across the county describe choosing rent over groceries, winter jackets, and basic necessities.

The project sits along State Road 46 near Orlando Sanford International Airport and targets what county officials call the "missing middle": working households who earn too much to qualify for deep-subsidy programs but too little to afford Sanford's open market, where a two-bedroom apartment now averages roughly $1,800 a month. The average Seminole County family needs more than $86,000 a year just to cover the basics, a threshold many residents fall well below.

Bonnye Deese, Seminole County's Community Services Projects Administrator, said the income-tied rent structure is the project's defining feature. "To have these units that are going to be priced at a point where it would fit within that family's income level is key," Deese said. Under the agreement, tenants cannot exceed 30 percent of their household gross monthly income on rent. "So you cannot exceed 30% of the household gross monthly income," Deese said. "There is also a utility allowance that is calculated to reduce the rents to make them provide additional affordability." County officials say the apartments will remain affordable for decades.

Gabby, a member of the Henry family, described the daily math that Riverbend Landings is designed to disrupt. "The thing I've noticed is people are prioritizing their rent," she said. "During this last cold snap, my kids have classmates who don't have jackets, because rent has to come from somewhere. If it's a choice between having four walls and a roof or a jacket for your child, they're picking four walls and a roof." The Henry family said they earn considerably below the $86,000 survival threshold. "It's just what we make is what we spend," Gabby added. "I miss the old prices of eggs, gas... I'm getting very creative."

Penny Seater, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka, said the pressure extends well beyond any single family. "Their rent keeps going up, up and up, and there really isn't any end in sight," Seater said, noting that more families are being forced to share housing or move into unstable living situations as costs continue to climb.

Riverbend Landings is being financed through a layered stack of public funding, including State Housing Initiatives Partnership dollars, HOME Investment Partnership Program funds, additional state housing money, and tax credits. Construction is already more than halfway complete, and county staff expect the first residents to move in before the end of 2026.

County advisers are positioning the project as more than a one-time fix. Affordable Housing Advisory Committee minutes show staff are already deploying Affordable Housing Trust Fund dollars to subsidize fees, seek impact-fee offsets, and fast-track permitting on similar projects. County leaders say they plan to monitor lease-up and affordability outcomes at Riverbend Landings closely and intend to expand affordable housing options through continued public-private partnerships, down payment assistance programs, and home repair initiatives, with the Sanford complex serving as the template.