Seminole County invests $1.4 million in 19 affordable homes
Seminole County is putting $1.4 million into 19 homes on 25th Street near 17-92, a small response to the region's worst affordability gap.
Seminole County is investing $1.4 million to help build 19 affordable homes along 25th Street near 17-92, putting public money behind a project meant to give families priced out of the market a place to stay in the county. The county dollars are tied to Legacy Square, a Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka development being built with Wharton-Smith Construction Group.
The scale of the need still dwarfs the project. In the Orlando metro area, only 19 affordable units are available for every 100 extremely low-income renters, and a separate annual housing report has ranked the region’s shortage for low-income families the worst in the nation. For workers in places such as Lake Mary, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs and Sanford, that gap means higher rents, longer commutes and fewer options near jobs, schools and health care.
Legacy Square moved forward with a ceremonial wall raising on June 17, 2026, and construction was targeted for completion after that milestone. That means the county’s investment will not relieve the shortage immediately. The 19 homes will matter only once the buildout is finished and the units are ready for families to move in.
The financing also fits a broader county housing strategy. Seminole County’s Annual Action Plan says the county is an entitlement community that receives annual HUD allocations, and its Attainable Housing Strategic Plan centers on preserving, creating and diversifying affordable and workforce housing. In that framework, the $1.4 million is not a stand-alone gesture but part of a longer effort to use public dollars to leverage nonprofit and private development.
A June 2026 BizJournals account described Legacy Square as a $7.2 million public-private affordable housing development, underscoring that the county money is one piece of a larger financing stack. For Seminole County, the real test is whether 19 homes can make a visible dent in a housing market where the gap between wages and rents continues to push working families out.
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