Courtesy of Annalise Anderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Alisha Durosier
University of South Florida Housing and Residential Education’s proposal to raise student housing rates was approved by the USF Board of Trustees (BOT) on Feb. 14.
The proposal consists of a five-year plan that will raise USF St. Petersburg housing prices by 4.5% starting in fall 2024. Rates for USF Tampa housing will also increase beginning in Fall 2023, and Sarasota-Manatee in 2025.
According to the proposal, USF housing rates have not been increased since 2019 and rising costs due to inflation, the increase in demand for on- campus housing, the need for funds to support maintenance, and redevelopment projects act as the main driving factors for the Housing and Residential Education’s proposal.
The proposal also provided projects that will be funded by increased student rent. USF St. Petersburg will see facility developments in Pelican Apartments (RHO) such as, floor and kitchen remodeling, shower renovation, and a hot water circulation upgrade.
Ibis Hall (USC) will undergo a window blind replacement, and both facilities will undergo furniture replacement, interior and corridor painting, along with a renewal of air conditioning and ventilation systems.
Another large development that the raised rates will support is the redevelopment of the Argos community (Beta Hall, Castor Hall, Kosove Hall) at USF Tampa. The plan will consider building new, replacing or redeveloping old housing facilities at USF Tampa.
USF St. Petersburg’s newest housing facility, Osprey Suites will not receive much renewal or renovation besides an exterior pressure wash that all residential buildings will receive. Alongside the rise in rates, USF Housing and Residential Education also pledged to monitor and submit an annual report demonstrating the increase’s impacts.
USF Tampa will be the first to be impacted by the approved proposal. The proposed rates take the lowest housing rate of $2,995 per semester to $3,070 per semester, and the highest housing rate of $5,950 per semester to $6,158 per semester. These rates have yet to be approved.
USF Sarasota-Manatee’s housing rates will increase the year following its opening in 2024.
