Rent control rules in Bay County, FL — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Florida flatly bans local rent control. Neither Bay County nor Panama City, Panama City Beach, or Lynn Haven may cap rent or limit increases. The 2023 Live Local Act deleted the old housing-emergency exception, so market rates apply.
Under Fla. Stat. 125.0103 (counties) and 166.043 (municipalities), no Florida local government may adopt any measure that would have the effect of imposing controls on rents. The 2023 Live Local Act (SB 102) deleted the narrow prior exception that had allowed rent control only after a declared housing emergency approved by referendum, so the prohibition is now effectively absolute. Even amid the post-Hurricane Michael housing squeeze, Bay County and its cities cannot cap increases, and landlords may raise rent by any amount with proper notice. Tenants' protections come from the lease and the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Fla. Stat. 83.40-83.683), not price caps.
There is no rent cap to enforce. But rent may not be raised in retaliation for a tenant complaint under Fla. Stat. 83.64, and month-to-month increases require proper written notice.
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