Jaimie Ross is the President and CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition. Prior to joining the Florida Housing Coalition as CEO, Ms. Ross served as the Affordable Housing Director at 1000 Friends of Florida, a statewide nonprofit smart growth organization, from 1991- 2015. Prior to her tenure at 1000 Friends of Florida, Ross was a land use and real property lawyer representing for profit and nonprofit developers and financial institutions with a law firm in Orlando.

In 1991, Ross initiated the broad-based coalition that successfully advocated the passage of the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act, providing a dedicated revenue source for affordable housing in Florida. She continues to facilitate the Sadowski Act Coalition to ensure funding for Florida’s state and local housing programs. Her work includes all forms of legislative and administrative advocacy and education related to the planning and financing of affordable housing. She has authored numerous articles on the planning and financing of affordable housing and smart growth tools for producing and preserving affordable housing. With funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ross produced “Creating Inclusive Communities”, a macro-media flash presentation on best practices for inclusionary housing programs. She founded the Florida Community Land Trust Institute in January, 2000.

Nationally, Ross serves on the Boards of Grounded Solutions Network and the Innovative Housing Institute. She is a nationally recognized expert in avoiding and overcoming the NIMBY syndrome. Ross is past Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee of the Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, and a former Fannie Mae Foundation James A. Johnson Community Fellow.