Live Local Act in Miami: What Developers Should Really Know Before Relying on It
Florida’s Live Local Act (SB 102) has quickly become one of the most talked-about housing policies in Miami. Headlines often frame it as a fast track to more density, more height, and faster approvals. In practice, Live Local can be a powerful tool—but only when it’s applied thoughtfully and tested against real site constraints.
At Ginard Studio, we’re seeing growing interest from developers exploring Live Local for feasibility studies, underwriting, and site acquisition decisions. The key question we always ask first is not “Can Live Local apply?” but rather “Does it actually make sense for this site?”
Below are the most important considerations every Miami developer should understand before relying on Live Local in their deal analysis.
1. Live Local Is Not a Rezoning Tool
One of the most common misconceptions is that Live Local functions like a rezoning shortcut. It does not.
Live Local is a state-level override that can require municipalities to allow residential development in certain commercial, industrial, or mixed-use zones, provided that long-term affordability requirements are met. It does not eliminate zoning entirely, and it does not guarantee approval.
Local governments still review projects administratively, and all standard building, life-safety, floodplain, and infrastructure requirements remain in place.
2. Zoning Eligibility Comes First
Live Local only becomes relevant if the site’s zoning qualifies.
In Miami, this typically means parcels zoned industrial (such as D1), commercial, or mixed-use. Low-density residential zones—such as T3—do not meaningfully benefit from Live Local on their own.
Before modeling density or height, the first step is always confirming:
Current zoning designation
Any overlays or special area plans
Whether the zoning category actually qualifies under the statute
Skipping this step can lead to unrealistic assumptions early in underwriting.
3. Affordability Is the Trade-Off
Live Local exchanges development flexibility for affordability.
To access its benefits, a project must:
Designate at least 40% of units as affordable
Target households earning up to 120% of Area Median Income (AMI)
Maintain affordability for a minimum of 30 years
Remain rental housing during that period
This is not symbolic affordability. It materially affects revenue, unit mix, and building efficiency. Whether Live Local works on a given site depends on whether the additional density and height can offset the reduced rents on the affordable units.
4. Density and Height Are Upper Limits—Not Guarantees
Live Local allows projects to reference:
The highest residential density allowed anywhere in the city, and
The highest building height permitted within one mile of the site
However, these are caps, not entitlements.
Setbacks, flood elevation requirements, fire access, parking, structural systems, and neighborhood context often reduce what can actually be built. Many sites that look compelling on paper fail once physical constraints are tested.
This is why realistic test fits are essential.
5. Parking Often Becomes the Real Constraint
In Miami, parking frequently determines whether a Live Local project pencils.
Even when use, density, and height are unlocked, parking requirements can:
Consume excessive floor area
Force inefficient podiums
Reduce unit count below pro forma assumptions
Any Live Local feasibility analysis that does not rigorously test parking strategy is incomplete.
6. Screening vs. Underwriting: Not All Feasibility Studies Are the Same
There is an important distinction between screening-level and underwriting-level feasibility.
A screening study answers:
Is Live Local even applicable here?
Are there obvious deal killers?
Is the site worth further pursuit?
An underwriting-level feasibility goes deeper:
Realistic unit counts
Parking and circulation strategy
Preliminary massing and efficiency
Risk-adjusted recommendations that support pricing decisions
Understanding which level of analysis is needed prevents over- or under-investing in early due diligence.
7. Live Local Is a Strategy—Not a Guarantee
Live Local can accelerate housing delivery and unlock value in the right conditions. It can also be misapplied, overestimated, or misunderstood.
The most successful projects treat Live Local as one option among several—alongside rezoning, assemblage, or by-right development—rather than as a universal solution.
A disciplined feasibility process is what separates viable Live Local projects from paper deals.
Final Thought
In Miami’s evolving regulatory landscape, Live Local is neither a silver bullet nor a red flag. It is a tool—powerful in the right hands, risky when misunderstood.
Developers who approach it with clarity, realism, and proper technical analysis are the ones best positioned to benefit.