Welcome to 2021 Florida ALHFA Conference

General Session Membership Meeting 

Opening Remarks Florida ALHFA President Harry Hedges

Election of Board Members Angela Abbott, Florida ALHFA Vice-President

Conference Logistics Susan Leigh, Director, Florida ALHFA

Virtual Exhibitor Hall Lisa Djahed, Communications Director, Florida Housing Coalition

Multi-Family: Cutting Edge Topics Part I

Due to the fixed 4% Housing Credit rate, many more bond deals will be feasible. With more deals coming through an HFA’s system, it is time for a look at whether your system is up-to-date and if your HFA is doing what is should for proper oversite before and after issuing bonds. Is your system up-to-date, or was it written in the 1990’s and amended multiple times so that it is redundant and internally inconsistent? Items for consideration include Issuer fees, minimum denominations, prohibited vendors, transfer restrictions, change of owner restrictions, administrative fees and process for post-closing requests, land use restrictions, guarantees, ancillary services agreements (servicing and compliance monitoring). What guaranties should be required to make sure the project is built to the specifications your HFA approved and to make sure your ongoing fees are paid? Additionally, as subsidies increase, so does the potential problem of cost escalation. We will once Additionally, multi-family bond transactions are becoming more complex, with short term bonds, requirements for HFA action after closing, and implications for long term HFA revenue.

Moderator:  Mark Hendrickson, Executive Director, Florida ALHFA

Panelists: Ben Johnson, President, Seltzer Management Company

Helen Feinberg, Managing Director RBC Capital Markets

Monique Spotts, Shareholder, Bryant Miller Olive

 Federal Legislative Update

The Federal COVID relief packages have massive impact on housing funding and tax policy. Infrastructure and other legislation could also provide significant federal resources. Learn what passed, what is in the works, and where the money is going—and how HFA’s could access the funds.

Moderator:  Cheree Gulley, Florida ALHFA Board Member & Executive Director, Miami-Dade HFA

Panelists:  Jessica Facciponti, NALHFA Legislative Committee Chair and Director of Government Affairs for the New York City Housing Development Corporation

Kevin McKenney, Director of Government Affairs, NALHFA

Jonathan Paine, Executive Director, NALHFA

Florida Legislative Update

The 2021 legislative session was a wild ride. Learn what happened, why, and what are the steps for the future. Also, the critical role the Sadowski Education Effort played in preservation and stabilization of the Sadowski Housing Trust funds will be detailed. Why is SEE such a critical part of the funding strategy? What is our communications strategy? What is the state revenue situation and how will that impact our work for the 2022 session? Discussion will include a complete update on SHIP and SAIL funding from the Sadowski Housing Trust Funds, and how to get state funding in 2022

Moderator:  Mark Hendrickson, Executive Director, Florida ALHFA 

Panelists:  Sarah Bascom, President, Bascom Communications

Ken Pruitt, President, The P5 Group

Jaimie Ross, President & CEO, Florida Housing Coalition

Our Partnership with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation

FHFC allocates Housing Credits, SAIL funds, and DPA monies. These programs directly impact local HFA’s—in both our rental and home ownership programs. How can a local HFA effectively impact FHFC decisions? How can our partnership be improved? FHFC’s Executive Director, and lead homeownership and rental directors will discuss these questions as well as implementation of the Local Government Preference system for 9% Housing Credits, the process for allocating 4% Housing Credits on local HFA bond deals, Down Payment Assistance, policy changes related to this year’s SAIL and Housing Credits, and legislative activities. 

Moderator:  Jim Ryan, Board Chairman, Housing Finance Authority of Clay County & FLALHFA Board Member

Panelists:  Trey Price, Executive Director, Florida Housing Finance Corporation

Marisa Button, Director of Multifamily Programs, FHFC

HFA Board Members: How to be an Effective Board Member of an HFA  

This session focuses on how to be a better and more effective HFA Board member, rather than on specific program details. It explores the proper “domain” of a Board and that of staff. Board members have asked, “What exactly am I supposed to be doing as a Board member? Am I supposed to be an expert on programs, or is that for staff only? How much can I rely on professionals and staff? Do I have a fiduciary responsibility?”. What is the “Goldilocks” position between micromanaging staff and professionals and being too hands off? This session will discuss preparation for each Board meeting, financial statements, audits, expenditure policies, budgeting, multifamily policies, procurement, and working with elected officials at the local and state level. Learn that “right” level of involvement, so that you can be an effective board member

Moderator:  Debra Koehler, Board Member, Housing Finance Authority of Hillsborough County Panelists: Gloria “Nadine” Carswell, Board Member, Jacksonville HFA

Dr. Jeffrey Sharkey, Board Secretary, HFA of Leon County

Single Family: Past, Present and Future of Programs

This session will focus on how HFA programs worked in the past, how they work now, and how they can be improved in the future. Also included will be how to have better outreach to minority homebuyers, particularly Hispanic and African American—and how better to inform the public about the programs. Another topic will be how to use eHousing’s website to identify details of who your program serves and what type and cost of home are the buying. 

Moderator:  Sue Denihan, eHousing Plus 

Panelists: Adela Garcia, Chief Financial Officer, HFA of Miami-Dade County

Karmen Lemberg, Director of Single Family Programs and Operations, HFA of Pinellas County 

Carla Webster, Marketing Manager, HFA of Miami-Dade County

Chip White, Homeownership Programs Administrator, FHF  

Multi-Family: Cutting Edge Topics Part II

Aren’t HFA’s just “conduit issuers”, with little responsibility other than compliance with the tax code when bonds are issued? How would that answer play with your local newspaper or County Commission when a development your HFA financed was found to have an infestation of mice or was abandoned halfway through construction? How does FHFC evaluate deals and what ongoing monitoring do they require on their bond deals? With more deals coming forward, this means competition for limited bond volume cap and the ability to require more of developers in terms of long-term affordability and other public purpose items. All of this will require improved application and evaluation systems. Is your system up-to-date, or was it written in the 1990’s and amended multiple times so that it is redundant and internally inconsistent? Are you getting all you can from a developer in terms of long-term affordability, development design and resident programs? again discuss methods to make sure that costs are reasonable and prevent deals from being over-subsidized. As a Board member, what is in a credit underwriting report and what should you focus on in the report? Why is compliance monitoring critical and how can it provide protection for your residents and insulate the HFA against political criticism of your HFA when a property you financed is poorly constructed or managed? What do monitors monitor? 

Moderator:  Kathryn Driver, Executive Director, HFA of Pinellas County

Panelists: Marisa Button, Director of Multifamily Programs, FHFC 

Mark Fredericks, Senior Vice-President Multifamily Services, AmeriNat

Barney Smith, Chairman, Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority & Former Chairman, Florida Housing Finance Corporation 

Ethics & Sunshine

Annual update on new laws that impact Ethics, Sunshine, public records and special districts, along with basic do’s and don’ts of behavior for Board and staff of HFA’s. What can you say and when can you say it to another Board member? Is it OK to accept that lunch invitation? What is a gift, and when must they be disclosed? What is the difference between a voting conflict and a prohibited conflict? How has COVID-19 impacted Sunshine laws and public meeting requirements, including HFA meetings and TEFRA hearings? These and other ethics and sunshine topics will be covered, with plenty of time for questions. Learn how to stay out of the news and out of legal trouble. 

Co-Moderator & Panelists:  Mary Helen Farris, General Counsel, HFA of Hillsborough County

Don Horn, Chairman, Miami-Dade HFA 

Housing Programs 101

This will be an updated version covering the basics of programs that HFA’s administer, suitable for both new and experienced HFA Board members and staff. Topics will include bond allocation, TEFRA, credit underwriting, monitoring, non-bond single family programs, DPA assistance, the role of various professionals, the difference between 9% and 4% Housing Credits, and others. This is a forum to ask the questions you need answered about how programs work.

Moderator:  Susan Leigh, Director, Florida ALHFA

Panelists: Rhonda Bond-Collins, Shareholder, Bryant Miller Olive

Ed Busansky, Vice-Chair, HFA of Hillsborough County

Tim Wranovix, Director National Housing Group, Raymond James

HFA Journal Release and Discussion of Unique Programs

Local HFA’s don’t just do bonds and single-family loan programs. With limited resources, both larger and smaller HFA’s have made an impact in their communities by being innovative and thinking outside of the box. Learn how HFA’s used HFA, SHIP and County funds to implement innovative programs. The 6th Annual Florida ALHFA Journal, which compiles programs submitted by Florida ALHFA members, will be released.

Moderator:  Pat Lott, Executive Director, Escambia County HFA (invited) 

Panelists: Susan Leigh, Director, Florida ALHFA 

TBD

Roundtable Discussions 

HFA Open Forum: to discuss Conference and FLALHFA

Attorney Roundtable: to discuss issues related to HFA’s legal issues that arise in their representation of issuers, developers, or other professionals

CPA Roundtable: to discuss accounting and auditing issues related to their work with local HFA’s