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120 FLORIDA The Best Cities for Florida Housing It's not just the balmy climate and the sandy coastline that attracts residents to the Sunshine State. As the fourth largest economy in the country and one of the largest job creators, Florida has cultivated the reputation of also being one of the best states to raise chil- dren, according to an analysis by WalletHub that compared 183 Florida cities across 21 key metrics to identify those that offered the best combination of family-friendly factors. ey included factors such as housing affordability, school system, general affordabil- ity, and income. While Oviedo, was ranked No.1 with an overall score of 75.47, Fruit Cove with a score of 72.43 came a close second. Horizon West (72.15); Parkland (71.54); and Palm Valley (71.47) rounded off the top 5 cities, according to the analysis. Cities in the Miami metropolitan area, however, were among the bottom-ranked on this list. At 183 South Miami Heights languished at the bottom with a score of 28.27. North Miami fared slightly better with a score of 28.67 and a ranking of 182. West Little River (29.91); Leisure City (29.91); and Tamiami with a score of 30.66 made up the bottom five cities. Florida cities that boasted the most af- fordable housing included West Pensacola, Bellview, North Fort Myers, Brent, and Pace. On the other hand, the most expensive cities for housing were also some of Florida's largest cities. ey included Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, University Park, and Westches- ter. Interestingly, Miami was also among the cities with the lowest median family income along with University, Oak Ridge, Hialeah, and Immokalee. Palm Valley, Fleming Island, Winter Park, Fruit Cove, and Jacksonville Beach were among the cities that boasted the highest median family income. In terms of overall affordability, Palm Valley was ranked first (ranked five overall), while Fruit Cove came in second followed by Fleming Island. Despite being ranked 39th overall, Jacksonville Beach came in fourth in the affordability rankings, followed by Lutz which was ranked 19th overall on the list of Florida's cities. Padgett Law Group Celebrates 25 Years Padgett Law Group (PLG), a Legal League 100 member firm and a leading regional default services law firm serving the southeastern United States, is celebrating 25 years of service. PLG currently operates in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. "When I founded this firm 25 years ago, my vision was for a dynamic, responsive legal practice that despite success would never lose sight of our boutique, hands-on beginnings. at, and our focus on people, has remained a hallmark of PLG throughout the years and I'm thrilled that this milestone comes on the heels of our expansion into the Texas market," said CEO Timothy D. Padgett. "Tim and I are fully focused on the devel- opment of PLG. We're continually develop- ing and deepening our client relationships; developing our internal technology, processes, and staffing; and looking at our growth from a conservative, balanced approach to ensure we can meet clients' needs while maintaining the Padgett approach to how we do everything," said Robyn S. Padgett, Chief Development Officer. e firm was founded in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1993 by Timothy D. Padgett, who today retains his day-to-day management role within the firm, serving as CEO. e firm expanded throughout the state of Florida, add- ing offices in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to provide statewide coverage. In 2015, PLG acquired Topping & Associ- ates, PC, which expanded the firm's practice into Georgia. Today the PLG executive team is based in the firm's Atlanta office located in the financial services hub of Buckhead. e Atlanta office also manages and processes all Georgia default and bankruptcy matters. e firm expanded into Tennessee in 2013 and operates out of its physical site in Mem- phis. e firm's entry into Tennessee was well received by clients with year-over-year growth exceeding projections by over 30 percent an- nually. PLG acquired Arkansas-based default ser- vices firm Dyke & Winzerling, PLLC in 2017, and today operates a full-service default prac- tice covering the entire state from its physical office in Little Rock. Success in Arkansas has been tremendous with production growth of 160 percent inside of 12 months. In November 2018, PLG announced the firm's second organic expansion with the opening of its Dallas, Texas, office and the commencement of full-service default legal services statewide. Anchoring the Dallas office is the firm's new Managing Attorney of Bank- ruptcy Operations, Keena Newmark, Esq. PLG's bankruptcy practice is national and covers the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Florida Housing Concerns Floridians are spending more than the recommended 30 percent of their income on housing. In South Florida and Orlando, housing affordability for low- and moderate- income workers is a bigger issue than ever, writes Amy Martinez, Associate Editor at Florida Trend. According to the report, the top reasons for the shortage of workforce hous- ing, an issue faced by several communities in Florida, include an increasing population, ris- ing interest rates, surging median home values, and declining lower-cost housing units. With the state adding about 335,000 people every year, the rate at which the population of Florida has grown resulted in a higher demand for housing of all types. e population is expected to grow further at 6.5 percent to 21.5 million in 2020. Rising interest rates have further increased the monthly costs of purchasing a home. Low- and moderate-income workers are especially affected by the rise in interests and remain cost-burdened. According to the Florida Policy Institute, 36 percent of Florida households are paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, including mortgage or rent, utili- ties, taxes, insurance, and neighborhood or condo association fees. Nearly 20 percent of Floridians are spending more than half of their incomes on housing. Median home values are far outpacing the rent rates due to the increased demand from new residents. is upward trend has a far- reaching impact on affordability for low-wage Florida Minority Certified Business MIAMI-DADE & BROWARD COUNTIES 786-499-6994 www.REOPitStop.com Luis@ContinentalRealtors.com RESNET ID: 106089 | Equator ID: 272261 Luis F. Guzman Broker/Owner

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