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County in Florida Approves Tiny House Community


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This Florida City Approves Tiny House Community story is a guest post by Rene’ Hardee

Here is an article that ran in our local paper last week: Tiny Houses Catch Brevard County in Florida

I have been working really hard to get legal approval for a Tiny House Community and it is finally happening! Please post to your newsletter! Thank you!

Florida City Approves Tiny House Community

Florida City Approves Tiny House Community

Image © Tim Shortt/FloridaToday

Rockledge resident Rene Hardee has been campaigning for tiny houses in her neck of the Brevard woods for the past six months. Rockledge City Council has agreed with Hardee’s idea and made a unanimous motion to move forward with new zoning regulations that would allow the creation of tiny house developments.”

Learn more: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/life/home-garden/spaces/2015/06/19/tiny-houses-catch-brevard/71079722/ (when you get there you have to answer two survey questions before they let you read the story… just an FYI.)

Our big thanks to Rene’ Hardee for sharing and for her hard work getting her city to approve of tiny housing!

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 39 comments… add one }
  • HUNTER
    June 24, 2015, 5:41 pm

    Rene’ god bless you and all the hard work it took to change minds. way to go! Now if only…….every where else would help us move along…..

    • Alex
      June 24, 2015, 5:59 pm

      I second that! I’m seeing if I can gather some tips/advice from her as to *how* she did it so I can re-share with you all to encourage more of it to happen. That would be pretty cool, right?

  • HUNTER
    June 24, 2015, 6:28 pm

    Cool doesn’t begin to cover it all. awesome, might begin to say it but i agree Alex if more of “US” could do this what a difference our movement would add to the HISTORY of this Country !!!!! YEAH TEAM… push forward..keep it going…….hooray !!!!!!!

  • Matt
    June 24, 2015, 8:08 pm

    This is so awesome, the precedence is set for the rest of Florida. We have something to look forward to in 20 years here in N. FL. (Running joke for those outside of Florida. N. Florida aka Jacksonville is continually that far behind the rest of state and rest of the country.)

  • Sparrow
    June 25, 2015, 12:47 pm

    This is wonderful! Affordable housing will now be within reach for many residents in Florida. Hopefully, this will spur creators of tiny houses to keep improving them. I still see too many models with ladders-to-the-loft bedrooms and barely adequate bathrooms. Let’s get on it, people!

  • linda
    June 25, 2015, 1:40 pm

    This is great progress. I do wonder about what specific building codes will be for tiny houses in this area because of the storms and hurricanes. I would imagine tiny homes there would need to be anchored in such a way that high winds would not topple them…i.e., they would be permanent structures, and not on wheels. Also, I wonder what the insurance premiums for such would be.

    • Lisa E.
      August 1, 2015, 9:50 am

      A high wall might be a solution to high winds, but if a storm is coming in that is really all that bad, usually the state starts telling people to evacuate as far in advance as possible. What a boon to have a THOW!!!
      Sheesh, just couple the hitch, no packing, and you’re off! You can take a vacation until the storm blows itself out and return to no downed building or blown out windows or palm debris all over the place. Love it!

      • Jason
        August 14, 2021, 1:29 am

        Exactly,this is one of the reasons i built my own tinyhouse,the versatility is unbeatable!

  • Joe3
    June 25, 2015, 1:40 pm

    Absolutely Thank You Rene’ for your hard work and diligence in working the Rockledge City Council …. I hope this starts a tend in other Florida cities, at least opening some doors for conversations.

  • June 25, 2015, 1:51 pm

    This is fantastic, now we need this to go nationwide.

  • LouAnn
    June 25, 2015, 2:38 pm

    Alex, that would be wonderful. I will watch my emails from you carefully. I have read through Cracking the Code, which is helpful too.

    • Alex
      June 25, 2015, 2:46 pm

      Thanks LouAnn!

  • June 25, 2015, 3:10 pm

    Thanks for all your kind words everyone! Be the change!

    • Alex
      June 25, 2015, 5:15 pm

      You’re a superhero Rene’ thanks for inspiring all of us and reminding us to know that we can actually make a difference as individuals

  • Lisa E.
    June 25, 2015, 3:48 pm

    Hot Fudge! WOW! This is wonderful news!!!
    And so it begins.
    I think once we get a couple of these communities into place, up and functioning, the powers that be will see that the sky won’t fall if they allow TH communities!
    Great job, Renee!!!
    Brava!

    • Alex
      June 25, 2015, 5:10 pm

      Exactly! It will only make things BETTER. More money to go around the community. More peaceful, happy and satisfied citizens. It’s all good!

      • Sparkles
        July 12, 2015, 8:50 am

        WOW, I have found my dream. I have always been fascinated with tiny objects. I had even said “someday I will live in my dollhouse and be happy”. I am getting older,kids are grown and gone. I am so ready for this. I am in a double-wide manufactured home and its far to big.I am so excited I came across this web-site. I don’t want to be wandering on wheels,I need to find a community of folks who feel as I do. A share/care/safe place where we unite for the greater good of Tiny Town!!!

  • john
    June 25, 2015, 4:17 pm

    What a great job Rene . . . you go gal! Congratulations for a job well done. Now this ought to inspire more people to turn the regulations tide to include more rational housing choices for those wishing to down size and live simpler lives.

  • Dee
    June 25, 2015, 5:00 pm

    Awesome job Renee! Hopefully every state will follow suit and we’ll see tiny home communities all over! How wonderful will that be!
    Thank you,
    Dee.

  • Andrea Hardy
    June 25, 2015, 9:19 pm

    Dee, John, Lisa E., Alex, Renee, LouAnn: Agreed 100% can’t WAIT for that change, affordable and sustainable housing for all!

  • Karen R
    June 25, 2015, 9:44 pm

    Fabulous!! It is going to spread . . .

  • M
    June 25, 2015, 11:01 pm

    Well, we need to do a lot of pray and yay that this is first of all successful in all the right ways so it can show that this movement is a valid one made of real people with jobs, goals, skills, who are just like anyone in a regular suburban home/neighborhood, just with smaller homes. I see it offering two perspectives; micro neighborhoods are just as aesthetic and charming as any other and don’t downgrade those hoods near them, and also give hope to those struggling to have a home at all that they don’t have to be limited to overpriced tract housing or crowded apartment complexes. In addition, it could show the Code Crowd that its better to do something like this with vacant or unused land than growing noxious weeds and increasing bug populations. Both of which require city or county dollars to maintain.

  • alice h
    June 26, 2015, 6:08 pm

    Congratulations on a job well done! May this be the start of a landslide.

  • dea
    June 27, 2015, 1:14 pm

    WOOT WOOT! throw a party, congratulations are in order! great job!

  • Steve in Palm Bay
    July 5, 2015, 1:27 pm

    I don’t believe that the county (Brevard) has approved this yet…just the city of Rockledge. When I approached the county about building a TH they were none too receptive.

    Also, the photo is from a school project at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne. Senior year Katie Hoagland and her father built this. Awesome!

  • Lindsey
    July 13, 2015, 9:31 am

    where can I get information? I can see myself relocating and living in Rockledge in a tiny house

    • July 13, 2015, 11:06 am
    • Steve in Palm Bay
      July 13, 2015, 6:10 pm

      Rene’….where exactly in Rockledge will this be permitted? I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for anything like this happening in unincorporated Brevard, as all but one of the county commisioners appear to be lapdogs for builders with a vested interest in McMansions and debt for all.

      • pamperedjane
        February 16, 2016, 4:07 pm

        @Steve, Funny thing is, recently, while driving East on Babcock Street in Melbourne, if you take a right after the “Sonic.” right after you go over the railroad tracks, then stay to the right, there’s a house down in that neighborhood on the right-hand side that incorporated a FREIGHT CONTAINER within the construction of their home when they BUILT it! Judging by the older age of this house, they didn’t “Ask” ANYONE…..they just DID IT! ANARCHY! Right ON! =D

  • Donna Pezzimenti
    July 31, 2015, 11:19 am

    Hi. I am looking for tiny house communities in south FL> are there ant tiny house communities where you can rent a tiny home, I love the cabins. Can you email me if you know of tiny home communities in south FL. I was told there are tiny home communities in Orlando FL. Thanks Donna

    • Nancy
      August 2, 2015, 10:26 pm

      If you call two tiny houses on land at an RV park a tiny house community then that’s what Orlando has currently. Not my cup of tea so I keep looking.

  • Norma
    July 31, 2015, 10:44 pm

    Are you in north Florida yet?

  • Glema
    August 4, 2015, 8:20 pm

    Thank you for your efforts Rene May God bless you dearheart.

  • chad white
    March 19, 2016, 2:27 pm

    i am looking for a used tiny home of any kind for sale…..need one with a shower…….if you have one to sell and it can be delivered please contact me at (813)244 4589

  • Nuri
    April 14, 2016, 4:48 pm

    Hi. You have tinyhouse in Deltona,Florida. ?

  • Cindy
    August 23, 2016, 9:00 pm

    Does anyone know if there are tiny home communities in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, FL? I’m very much interested in living in a tiny home in the near future. Do any of the homes have solid foundations (instead of being on wheels)? Also, can I have an electric stove and oven instead of gas?

  • Cindy
    August 23, 2016, 9:05 pm

    Don’t know if my e-mail went through, but just wanted to know if there are any tiny home communities in Jacksonville, FL. Also, do any of the homes have solid foundations (instead of being on wheels)? Can I have an electric stove and oven instead of gas?

  • Michael Gerhardt
    May 16, 2018, 2:20 pm

    I’m seriously considering to campaign with Titusville Fl. city officials to work toward the accomplishments that Rockledge Fl. and Rene’ Hardee have suceeded in doing.

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