Fishback to Ban Blackstone and Wall Street from Buying Florida Homes

James Fishback announced a plan to ban investment firms like Blackstone and other Wall Street entities from purchasing single-family homes in Florida. "Homes are for families, not Wall Street portfolios," Fishback declared at a housing affordability event in Miami. When private equity firms buy up neighborhoods, they drive up prices and turn would-be homeowners into permanent renters. In some Florida communities, institutional investors now own a significant percentage of single-family homes. "You've got young couples who were born and raised in Florida, whose grandparents are buried here, and they can't afford to buy a home because BlackRock and Blackstone are outbidding them with cash," Fishback explained. "That's not a free market. That's a rigged market." Under Fishback's proposal: • Investment firms would be prohibited from purchasing single-family homes • Existing corporate-owned homes would be subject to increased taxation • First-time Florida homebuyers would receive priority in home sales "Florida's housing should serve Florida families, not hedge fund balance sheets," Fishback said. "I'm always going to stand up for workers. I'm never going to allow any type of immunity for corporations that are hurting our families." The proposal builds on Fishback's broader "Free People Over Free Market" economic philosophy, which prioritizes the interests of working families over corporate profits.