- Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman was named the 2026 Local Government Housing Champion at the Florida Housing Coalition’s REPAIR Conference.
- Gainesville adopted inclusionary zoning and passed Starter Home legislation to support affordable housing, gaining national recognition for reforms.
Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman was named the 2026 Local Government Housing Champion on Monday at the Florida Housing Coalition’s 2026 REPAIR Conference in Orlando.
According to a city of Gainesville press release sent on Monday, Eastman received the local government honor alongside state Sen. Alexis Calatayud, who was recognized as the State Government Housing Champion.
The Housing Champion awards recognize elected officials for leadership in addressing Florida’s housing challenges. The awards were presented during the Florida Housing Coalition’s 39th annual statewide affordable housing conference, described as Florida’s largest gathering of affordable housing professionals and leaders.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award, but more than anything, I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Gainesville,” Eastman said in the release. “We’ve shown that local government can address the housing crisis head-on and make real progress on housing affordability. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and honored to have that work recognized statewide.”
Over the past several years, Gainesville has pursued a range of housing reforms and investments that have received national recognition.
The city has adopted inclusionary zoning, eliminated minimum parking requirements, supported the development and preservation of affordable housing throughout Gainesville and passed its Starter Home legislation, which is intended to make it easier to build smaller, more attainable homes.
Gainesville’s approach to starter homes is now being discussed as a potential model for housing reform statewide.
The Florida Housing Coalition is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on affordable housing and ending homelessness. Its annual conference brings together representatives from local and state governments, nonprofit organizations, developers, lenders, advocates and other housing professionals from throughout Florida.
The REPAIR Conference runs from Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 24-26.