Novel plan faces challenges

Design inspiration for Upward Communities housing project presented to Marion County School District on June 19.

Upward Communities CEO Jason Roberts returned to the Marion County School Board on Dec. 18 to provide a “long overdue” update on a project to build affordable housing for local educators, citing a “weird time” in the state legislature as a primary hurdle.

Upward Communities is a Texas-based company created to retain and support essential educators by providing affordable housing near their schools. The company planned to launch its first Florida community in Marion County.

Following an August update in which Roberts promised to “double our resources” to make the housing community a reality, the CEO informed the board that while property has been selected, legal complexities regarding tax exemptions have slowed progress. Roberts explained that the project’s affordability hinges on the land being treated as tax-exempt school district property, but current county interpretation does not explicitly cover housing.

Roberts noted the timing is particularly complicated due to ongoing legislative debates in Tallahassee regarding Florida’s tax structure.

“There’s a lot of other stuff going on. This is a really weird time,” Roberts said to the board. “They’re talking about getting rid of property taxes. You know, that’s how you guys pay your bills. So, it’s a very interesting time to be proposing language for a school district, but I think

Despite these challenges, Roberts described his team as being in the “background” working to clear a path through the legislative and legal “red tape.”

“We’re kind of, I use this example, we’re going through the jungle chopping the first trail with a machete and it is tough,” Roberts told the board. “Every difficulty that has hit us has made us better and it’s vetted our process better.”

To navigate the current impasse, Upward Communities has shifted its focus toward a potential partnership with the county, which has “home rule” and legal precedent for offering workforce housing. Under this proposed model, the county would carry the master lease while still dedicating a specific number of units to school district staff.

School board members remained vocal in their support of the vision. Board member Allison Campbell, who in August noted it was a matter of “when” and not “if” the plan goes forward, stated she remains “all on board with whatever it looks like,” even if the county facilitates the first phase.

Board chair Sarah James expressed her commitment to finding “affordable or at least more affordable options” for the district’s nearly 7,000 employees.

Roberts informed the board that his team has enrolled lobbyists and political figures to help “advance this program” and make it “crystal clear” for Florida school districts that staff housing can be property tax exempt. He expects to have a legislative update by March 2026.

“We would not pursue this if we were not optimistic and believe that we’re at about a 99% chance that we’re going to be successful,” Roberts said. “That’s how diamonds are made, time and pressure, and we’re good at both of those.”