From City Commissioner Reina Saco:
“The recent change to the City ordinance will mean that Gainesville is on par with the County on housing discrimination protections. Both the County and the City have taken a stance to prohibit housing discrimination against veterans, immigrants, and survivors of domestic violence, and now prohibit landlords from refusing to accept alternative means of income like housing vouchers. A landlord can’t refuse to work with a housing authority or reject a tenant because they subsidize their rent with a voucher, SSI, child support, or other benefits.
Another change that went into the City ordinance is the updating of protections for the LGBTQA community. Previous ordinances had listed transgender individuals as protected because of a “mental disability“ but the entire chapter has been updated to remove outdated and harmful terminology. The updated ordinance at the City ensures that everyone regardless of immigration status, sexual orientation, income status, or prior service can now have a fair shot at accessing housing in the city. If a potential tenant or tenant faces discrimination because of any of these issues or thinks that a landlord or management company is treating them differently on the basis of these issues, then they can contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at the City or County.”