4 December 7-13, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA RACE TO THE BOTTOM NEW REPORT SHOWS HOW INFLATION IS DRAINING MIAMI RESIDENTS’ WALLETS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN N ewsflash: Everyone is collec- tively going broke in South Florida, just trying to make ends meet. A November report by bill- pay company Doxo confirms what Miami residents likely sensed with a quick glance at their bank accounts. The report found that the cost of living in Miami is among the high- est in the nation, with a typical household paying nearly $2,700 a month on ten common household expenses — 30 percent more than the national average of $2,046. Miami residents are spending more than 53 percent of their income on the household cost categories tracked in the report. Only those living in Boston, Los Angeles, and Detroit spend a larger percentage of their income on monthly bills, according to Doxo’s data on the 50 largest U.S. cities. The tracked expenses include rent, car insurance, mortgage payments, utilities, auto loans, health insurance, cellphones, cable and internet, alarm and security, and life insurance. Inflation peaked during the summer of 2022, and consumer prices reached new heights, but for those living in South Florida, wages did not come close to keeping up. The Consumer Price Index for the Miami metro area has risen more than seven percent over the last 12 months, according to the U.S. Bu- reau of Labor Statistics. The bureau recently reported that U.S. consumer price increases stabilized last month, renewing hope that inflation is slow- ing down and could eventually meet the Fed- eral Reserve’s target. As for new homebuyers, Miami has re- tained its title as the least affordable residen- tial market in the nation, according to RealtyHop’s latest index. Factoring in the me- dian list price, the estimated mortgage and property tax expenses for a newly purchased middle-of-the-road Miami home now ex- ceeds $3,300, which represents more than 80 percent of the median income for a Miami household. (That doesn’t include ballooning property insurance rates.) Home prices in Los Angeles (the second least affordable housing market) and New York City (the fifth least affordable) are much more expensive than in Miami, but the costli- ness is offset by LA and the Big Apple’s far higher median household income, so much so that buyers in those cities can expect to pay a smaller portion of their earnings on housing than Miamians do, according to RealtyHop. Hialeah was ranked by RealtyHop as the fourth least affordable city in the nation, largely as a result of low median income com- pared to other high-priced markets. To wealthy new arrivals from New York and other U.S. cities where household income is relatively high, the South Florida real estate market might not look so expensive. The influx of high-earning newcomers willing to pay top- dollar for local homes in the post-pandemic market has played a role in Miami’s property prices rising at a disproportionately high rate, according to a Business Insider report. Apartment construction is booming in Mi- ami, but many of the new units are priced in the high-end to luxury range, out of reach for financially struggling, longtime local resi- dents. “While the city’s luxury housing options continue to appeal to wealthier homebuyers, middle-class residents are struggling to pur- chase property,” RealtyHop wrote. Among the nation’s 50 largest cities, the Doxo report found that Miami had the ninth- highest monthly cost burden for residents. Though it’s been exacerbated by inflation and skyrocketing rent last year, Miami’s hous- ing affordability crisis is nothing new. Based on 2017 data, a past study by Florida Interna- tional University found that among major metro markets nationwide, tenants in Miami had the least amount of earnings left after paying their housing expenses. Some relief from the affordability crisis may be afoot, as rent in the Miami metro area appears to have plateaued year to date. Zumper reported that Miami’s median list price for rental units has decreased slightly year over year, landing at a cool $ 2,600 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. “We’re seeing most major markets settle into their new resting heart rates. Miami, for example, is more expensive than pre-pan- demic, but it’s no longer seeing steep hikes month after month,” Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades said. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Miami residents are spending more than 53 percent of their income on household costs. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images ▼ FLORIDA CALLED OUT DEMOCRATS CALL FOR GOP CHAIR’S RESIGNATION AFTER REPORT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION. BY ALEX DELUCA AND NAOMI FEINSTEIN T he Florida Democratic Party is calling on Republican Party of Florida chairman Christian Ziegler to resign following a re- port that he is under investigation over a sexual assault claim. “Allegations of rape and sexual battery are severe and should be taken seriously,” Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said in a me- dia release. “I applaud the accuser’s bravery in coming forward against a political figure as pow- erful as Christian Ziegler, and I trust that the Sarasota Police Department will conduct a thor- ough investigation into these allegations of crim- inal behavior.” As first reported by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, a heavily redacted Sarasota police report, dated October 4, appears to document the sexual assault claim. Nearly ev- ery line in the police report is blacked out, though the words “rape” and “sex- ual assault” are not. In a statement, Ziegler’s lawyer Derek Byrd said Ziegler has been “fully co- operative with every re- quest made by the Sarasota Police Department.” Byrd said he believes Ziegler “will be completely exonerated” once the investigation is complete. “Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit, whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would cau- tion anyone to rush to judgment until the investi- gation is concluded,” Byrd said. Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, are prominent figures in local and state GOP poli- tics. Ziegler runs a consulting firm and was a vocal supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelec- tion campaign. Bridget, who has served on the Sarasota County School Board since 2014, is a co-founder of the far-right parent-activist group Moms for Liberty, which has led a na- tionwide culture-war crusade against critical race theory and school books that its members deem inappropriate. The group has been a driving force behind book bans in school dis- tricts across Florida. “As for the more salacious allegations — what happens behind closed doors is Christian and Bridget’s personal business,” Fried said, refer- encing additional claims reported by the Florida Center for Government Accountability that as- serted the Zieglers at one point had a consen- sual sexual relationship with the alleged victim. “That being said, I do find it interesting that two people who are so obsessed with banning books about gay penguins might be engaged in a non-traditional sexual relationship.” “As leaders in the Florida GOP and Moms for Liberty, the Zieglers have made a habit out of attacking anything they perceive as going against ‘family values’ — be it reproductive rights or the existence of LGBTQ+ Floridians,” Fried said. “The level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning.” As previously reported by New Times, Chris- tian Ziegler found himself under fire earlier this year after he called for a police raid of a Florida drag show. While some social media users took his comment as an incitement to violence, the Republican leader maintained he was not en- couraging drag show detractors to take up arms. [email protected] Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said Christian Ziegler “can’t possibly” continue to lead the Florida Republican Party while allegedly under criminal investigation. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
