Commissioner Bryan Eastman Named Local Government Housing Champion

Published on August 24, 2026

District 4 Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman was named the 2026 Local Government Housing Champion this August at the Florida Housing Coalition’s REPAIR Conference 2026 in Orlando. Eastman received the local government honor alongside State Senator Alexis Calatayud, who was recognized as the State Government Housing Champion.

The Housing Champion awards recognize elected officials for their leadership in addressing Florida’s housing challenges. The awards were presented during the Florida Housing Coalition’s 39th annual statewide affordable housing conference, Florida’s largest gathering of affordable housing professionals and leaders.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award, but more than anything, I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Gainesville,” Eastman said. “We’ve shown that local government can address the housing crisis head-on and make real progress on housing affordability. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and honored to have that work recognized statewide.”

Over the past several years Gainesville has pursued a broad range of housing reforms and investments that have been recognized nationally. The city has passed inclusionary zoning, eliminated minimum parking requirements, supported the development and preservation of affordable housing throughout Gainesville and adopted starter home legislation to make it easier to build smaller, more attainable homes. Gainesville’s approach to starter homes is now being discussed as a potential model for housing reform statewide.

The Florida Housing Coalition is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on affordable housing and ending homelessness. Its annual conference brings together local and state governments, nonprofit organizations, developers, lenders, advocates and housing professionals from across Florida.