A new University of North Florida study found that Duval County has more eviction filings than any other Florida county.
In 2022, the monthly average number of eviction filings per 1,000 renters was 7.08 in Duval, according to research by The JAX Rental Housing Project. In comparison, that number was 3.70 in Miami-Dade County, 5.84 in Orange County, 4.77 in Hillsborough County, and 3.50 in Pinellas County. This pattern was repeated for 2023.
These statistics earn Duval County the title of the eviction filing capital of Florida.
Rising rent prices are a factor in eviction filings.
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In Duval, rent prices increased almost 30% between 2020 and 2023, according to the study.
Researchers found Duval County renters would need to make $25.06 per hour to not spend more than 30% of their income on rent. However, the median hourly wage in Jacksonville is $21.84, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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The report concludes that “affordable and safe rental housing has become increasingly scarce for a large segment of Jacksonville’s working population.”
The JAX Rental Housing Project says the current situation for a large amount of Jacksonville renters has reached a crisis stage.
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Source Agencies
