The Role of Advocacy in Real Estate

In the current charged political atmosphere, it feels as though political issues permeate every corner of our lives. With a pivotal presidential election looming on the horizon, the intensity is only set to amplify in the coming months, offering ample fodder for debate. While it might be tempting to tune out or sidestep key issues, there’s a pressing need, now more than ever, to stay informed and engaged, especially in the Realtor® community. It cannot be overstated, but the adage “If real estate is your career, policy is your business,” has never been more crucial than it is today. Our elected officials make important decisions relating to zoning codes and regulations, property tax rates, infrastructure changes, and several other crucial factors that affect the way real estate professionals carry out their day-to-day business. Those politicians are also the ones who hear from their constituents about a number of different policy issues including matters that have a real impact on the value of their property.

WHY ADVOCACY?

A Realtor® advocate means having your voice heard on issues that are important to you – and staying informed on those issues is key. You can’t promote and protect your rights if you aren’t aware that they are in danger of being infringed upon. The RASM Government Affairs Department interfaces with all local government entities on behalf of RASM members. We proactively monitor local legislation and regulatory policy for the impact it may have on private property rights and the ability to freely buy, sell, and lease property. But we also rely on the volunteer efforts of our members to join us in the fight to protect and maintain these rights.

“Advocacy is the linchpin in safeguarding our profession, championing the interests of our clients, and ensuring the vitality of Florida’s real estate sector,” said Max Brandow, RASM Vice President of Advocacy and Member Programs. “Without a robust advocacy presence in Tallahassee and Washington D.C., non-Realtor® friendly conversations can overshadow ours, leading to detrimental policies that hamper our livelihoods and erode our bottom line. Yet, advocating for your interests alone behind closed doors often yields little progress. It’s RPAC’s efforts that grant access to the decision-makers who shape our future.”

WHAT IS THE REALTOR® PARTY?

The REALTOR® Party is a powerful alliance of Realtors® working together to advance public policies and candidates that build strong communities, protect property interests and promote a vibrant business environment. RASM, along with Florida REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), works for our members by advocating for local, state, and federal policy initiatives.

PUBLIC POLICY

On local advocacy issues, RASM has adopted a Public Policy Guide when determining priorities for Manatee County and Sarasota County. We also follow state and national priorities as they pertain to our area. The RASM Public Policy Guide was created to collectively group RASM’s prime objectives as the local voice for real estate in our two-county area. The guide outlines the Association’s position under the following categories:

• Land Use/Development
• Taxation
• Environment
• Infrastructure
• Landlord/Tenant
• Government Budgets
• General
• Legislative Advocacy
• Local Elections
• Education

The RASM Public Policy Guide is continually being revised and updated to stay relevant and focused on our communities’ changing needs. To receive your own copy, email Maxwell@myrasm.com.

REPRESENT YOUR INDUSTRY

As a member of our Association, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the real estate industry by serving as an advocate. At RASM, we believe that advocacy is essential to the success of our industry, and we are committed to supporting our members in their advocacy efforts. Whether you’re new to advocacy or have years of experience, we invite you to explore the resources available for you to get involved in making a difference in your industry and community.

LOCAL ELECTIONS

RASM provides a variety of resources to help you stay informed about local elections, including voter guides and election links.

WHO DOES RASM ENDORSE AND WHY?

• Every election cycle, RASM screens and endorses candidates for elections that have the most impact on our members’ day-to-day business, and the industry. This is typically State Senate, State House, County Commission, and City Commission races.
• RASM does this because as a professional trade association, it is our job to protect and advance the industry politically.
• The importance of identifying Realtor®-friendly candidates during the election cycle cannot be overstated. Just one elected official who does not understand or does not support our issues could be the difference between the state or local municipality implementing a sales tax on your commissions, which saves members on average $2,300 annually. We also endorse Realtor®-friendly candidates to advance a healthy and thriving market.

RASM’S LEGISLATIVE WINS

The last few years, the RASM Advocacy Department, along with the Public Policy Committee, has been very focused on reforming and modernizing the laws and zoning codes in municipalities to see industry-wide shifts in our local market.

• With the passage of the Sarasota City Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and the subsequent zoning text amendments, the city is heading towards transformational change, not only in the downtown market, but also along the corridors. This new plan paves the way for mixed use, walkable developments along major corridors like 301, 41, Fruitville. This is beneficial for both our Commercial and Residential Realtors® because more units will come on line in our market, neighborhoods will see much needed capital investment, and it also helps address a major issue we fight for: affordable housing. Not only will housing supply increase, which leads to downward pressure on the skyrocketing housing costs for young and first-time home buyers, but in the plan, developers are also given incentives to allocate certain percentage of units in their projects specifically for individuals at or below the median incomes in town.
• In the City of Bradenton, the Public Policy Committee led by Chair Barry Grooms, lobbied the City Council to implement a plan downtown which has the chance to take Bradenton to new heights. The plan involved moving the current City Hall property to a new parcel which would allow a state-of-the-art mixed-use development to come to one of the most important areas of downtown, the riverfront. This project will have a ripple effect not only for downtown merchants and the downtown commercial properties, but also the adjacent and downtown edge residential neighborhoods. RASM is very bullish on the City of Bradenton, the elected leaders we have in the City and Manatee County are visionary when it comes to investing in the area, and the best is yet to come if we continue electing Realtor®-friendly candidates.

MEET THE CANDIDATES EVENT: 2024 PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Are you looking to make an informed decision at the polls but need more information? Join RASM on Tuesday, July 30 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing for a special meet and greet with candidates running in the 2024 state and local primary elections. This is a FREE opportunity to engage in important discussions on key issues impacting your business. For questions, please email Max Brandow at max@myrasm.com. For more information and to register (required), click here.

RASM KEY PRIORITIES

RASM supports the legislative priorities highlighted by Florida REALTORS® and NAR. In addition, we follow RASM’s Public Policy Guide when determining priorities for Manatee County and Sarasota County while following State and National priorities as they pertain to our area. RASM’s specific key priorities include:

• Protecting private property rights for owners to utilize their property freely, such as for vacation rentals.
• Minimum to no fees for essential Realtor® activities like using open house and for sale/rent signage.
• Preserving and protecting our local environment, which attracts so many of our members’ clients to the area.
• Making sure our school districts continue to outperform other districts throughout the state.
• Improving the local economy and business climate so our members can thrive.
• Increasing the housing stock and fighting for affordable housing measures.

STILL MORE WORK TO DO

Even with all the positive changes we’ve been a part of, the work is not done when it comes to housing affordability. Cities and states throughout the country have been biting around the edge of the issue for years, but in the end the only way we’ll get the requisite amount of supply now and into the future is major permanent zoning changes. This means everything from allowing property owners by right to build ADU’s, upzoning parcels to allow more units/acre, providing incentives for builders to construct affordable housing in their projects, etc.

We also need to make sure we have a diverse array of commercial properties and uses. While residential units are essential and needed for Sarasota and Manatee to have a thriving economy that isn’t solely reliant on seasonal tourism, we must have areas in the region to place mixes of different commercial uses.

SUPPORT RASM’S ADVOCACY EFFORTS

RASM Major Investors are industry professionals whose goal is to promote homeownership for all and to protect Realtors® from burdensome regulations. Major Investors are eligible to participate in the RPAC Recognition Program, with specific benefits and accolades that acknowledge their support of RPAC. There is a minimum annual investment of $1,000. To become an investor, click here.

There is a direct link from Realtor®-friendly candidates that RPAC helped get elected, to bad legislation prevented via “no” votes by those same elected officials, and vice versa. Like the Sarasota City Comp Plan, and the City of Bradenton Downtown revitalization, all those efforts wouldn’t have had the requisite number of votes, if Realtor®-friendly candidates weren’t elected. Also, the work is never done. All the progress we made in the City of Sarasota is at risk in this election cycle. We have candidates running against our Realtor®-friendly incumbents in the City of Sarasota that are on record vowing to undo progress made by the current Commission.

WHAT’S THAT LOOK LIKE?

In the City of Sarasota, you’re likely to see building moratoriums in the city, or roadblocks in front of any new projects which will chill investment into the city, and inevitably lead to higher construction and development costs, which are always passed on to the consumer. That means no more, or a drastic cut, in the number of new units in the area. Less units to buy and sell per RASM member and their clients.

If some of these candidates get elected it could mean your clients who invest in vacation rentals may look elsewhere in the state because the opponent candidates are on the record advocating that the city will lean into more taxes, more inspections, more fees for vacation rental owners.

Opponent candidates have also lamented the amount of For Sale/Rent signs in the city; imagine if the city charged RASM members per day/week just to put a for sale or for rent sign in a clients’ yards? Do you think that could have an impact on your bottom line?

In Manatee County it’s the same story. We have candidates running against adding parking spaces to the island beaches. Imagine showing potential clients Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach only for them to realize the island communities, by design, only provided enough parking for residents of those islands?

At the state level, every year someone tries to implement a sales tax on your commissions, but because we have a strong Realtor®-caucus and Realtor®-friendly candidates we’ve been able to prevent that from happening. We have been able to secure record number of state dollars for housing assistance programs, environmental funding, etc. These are all part of our state priorities, and those priorities are easily attainable if we have Realtor®-friendly candidates elected. And RPAC helps them get elected.

GREAT AMERICAN REALTOR® DAYS (GARD)

The Great American Realtor® Days (GARD) is an annual event hosted by Florida REALTORS® that gives you the opportunity to travel to Tallahassee and shake hands and meet face-to-face with lawmakers before they weigh decisions that will impact how you do business. Attendees can make sure our elected leaders have the right information before voting on legislation that could hurt your bottom line, threaten the growth of your business, or make it harder for Floridians to buy their dream homes or sell their properties.

Be part of the Rally in Tally next year! Join RASM members in making your voice heard by attending the Florida REALTORS® 2025 Great American Realtor® Days, scheduled for March 4-6, 2025. Don’t miss your chance to make a difference in the real estate business in Florida. For more information, visit www.floridarealtors.org.

“Every year we have members attend GARD for the first time, and I always hear, ‘Wow, I had no clue the importance of the work we are doing at the State Capital.’ When you’re in those meetings with lawmakers and you see the respect they have for our industry and members, and their willingness to reach out and get the Realtor® perspective on issues, it highlights the impact our members have had on state legislation throughout the years. We must be willing to use our collective voice, or someone else will beat us to it,” said Brandow.