Finding an affordable place to live is one of the most basic human needs. According to recent polling data, 72% of Americans believe housing affordability is a major problem.

Luckily, a developer in Florida has come up with a solution: Building luxury high-rise condominiums and apartments along the coastal waterfront, next door to a convention center, hotel, marina and shopping.

The Causeway Cove project in Fort Pierce, a community of about 50,000 two hours' drive north of Miami, might seem like just another place where rich snowbirds can play during the winter months, before returning home as Florida's temperatures climb toward uncomfortable levels.

Yet under a relatively recent state law, the developer is trying to claim that a portion of the project would meet the definition of affordable housing. If he's right, then the entire project might be allowed to move forward with only minimal oversight by local officials.

Live Local Act strips local governmental control

With a design like the condo canyons found farther south, including one building nearly 200 feet high, the project would be a jarring change to the skyline in a town where most buildings are no taller than 45 feet. Predictably, the plans have drawn opposition from some locals who worry the project would change Fort Pierce's laid-back character.

Yet because of the state's Live Local Act, their concerns may not matter.

The Florida Legislature adopted the act in 2023 in response to residents' complaints about housing........

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