The FAA partnered with the Florida Department of Health and its Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida to launch the FAA Smoke-Free Multifamily Housing Program at the organization’s 2015 Annual Conference & Trade Show earlier this month. Representatives of FAA and Tobacco Free Florida provided information and resources on smoke-free housing policies to some of the 800-plus conference attendees representing approximately 200 apartment management companies and multifamily communities across the state. In addition, FAA launched a certification program to recognize communities that have made the commitment to be smoke-free. A team from FAA and Tobacco Free Florida will travel around the state early in 2016 to share information about the benefits of smoke-free housing and considerations for converting a community to smoke-free status, as well as FAA's Smoke-Free Certification and how communities can become smoke-free certified.

The 2016 Florida legislative session begins in January, and bills are already being filed. The FAA government affairs team has met with several legislators in Tallahassee to discuss FAA legislative priorities and several filed bills that impact our industry.

Mark your calendars: The platform meeting to determine FAA’s legislative priorities for 2016 will take place at AAGO Headquarters on October 28 at 11 a.m.

Class B apartment communities are outperforming Class A and C communities in occupancy and rent growth. New data show that occupancy rates at Class B apartment have remained at or above 95 percent since August 2014, while Class A rates dropped to almost 94.5 percent in January 2015 and Class C rates remained below the 95 percent mark until March 2015. Rent growth for Class B properties has remained above 5.5 percent since February 2015. Class C properties had been experiencing similar growth up until then, but the gap has since widened. Class A properties spiked in June 2015 and have begun to approach the 5 percent growth mark. Experts suspect that renters are looking for more affordable apartment homes, which is why Class B and C apartment communities are experiencing higher rent growth. But additional supply could stagnate occupancy rates and rents in the months ahead.

Prepare to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the flourishing rental housing sector of student housing—and make it a team effort—by registering today for the 2016 NAA Student Housing Conference & Exposition, February 16-17, 2016.

Highlights of Multifamily Housing Deals and Projects Around Florida

Some of my friends have very simple screening criteria when searching for a significant other: You must have a bed, with a frame, in a place that does not also house your parents. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 70 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds do not live with their parents. No word on the status of their beds, but let’s stay positive. Here are a few other things Millennials want you to know.

As NAA plans for the 2016 NAA Capitol Conference and Lobby Day, they want to better understand what policy concerns motivate owners and operators of apartment communities to engage in advocacy. And while it is too early to know exactly what issues will be focused on on Lobby Day, feedback from you will help NAA identify the hot topics. We need strong attendance at the Capitol Conference and ask that you complete this quick survey no later than Nov. 6.
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FAA's Product/Service Council elected new leaders at the annual meeting held at the 2015 Annual Conference & Trade Show.