ORLANDO, Fla. — One Orange County commissioner is pushing for more rent control measures to put some safety nets on rising rent prices.

Orange County commissioners are holding a public hearing on June 7, on this topic.

Commissioner Emily Bonilla is calling for temporary rent control, meaning properties with four or more units can’t raise the rent higher than 5% or the 12 month average of the Consumer Price Index, whichever one is lower. This comes after she said Orange County rents are averaging a year over year increase of 29.22%.

It was almost a full house Tuesday as dozens of residents came out to share their experiences with rising costs. One person said their rent was raised $500 a month, forcing them to leave. Bonilla said she hopes to get it on the November ballot — a fight she’s not alone in.

"A one bedroom cost more than my mortgage. I couldn’t live there as a commissioner. I wouldn’t be able to afford it with my four-member family. And every time I tell a developer that they say that’s market rate," said Mayra Uribe, Orange County commissioner for District 3. 

Orange County resident Sharona Barnes agrees that rents are rising, and that can cut into other crucial aspects of her budget. "The prices are constantly going up until you can't afford your rent and your lights or and your gas," Barnes reported. "We haver extra bills so it’s like really tight.”

The rising rent prices are causing her to go to great lengths to find food as well, "We are having to go to the food pantries looking for free food and grab things like sides that go with our meats and things like that."

Bonilla said by passing rent control it’ll allow residents to stay in Orange County helping the economy in the long run.

County commissioners are holding a public hearing on this issue June 7. But there won’t be a vote until late June, early July for it to be officially on the November ballot.