As Race Moves to Florida, Facing Political Implications of a Housing Crisis

In parts of Florida such as Homestead and Florida City, the anger driving some of the Republican vote is visible on the street. For several hours Saturday, Carols Castellano Triana, the owner of a painting business, held a hand-painted sign saying, “Vote Republican” at the busy intersection of Palm Avenue and Dixie Highway in Florida City, an area that has been ravaged by the housing implosion.

Mr. Triana is a renter with aspirations of owning a home. He is an undecided voter, but said he would most likely vote for Mr. Romney.

“I’m going to stand here every weekend until Obama’s gone,” said Mr. Triana, sweating in the blistering sun. “My sign was going to be more nasty, but my family said, ‘Somebody’s going to shoot you.’ ”

He continued, “I can’t explain the housing crisis, but I know that if the economy was better, everything would be better.”

In the condominium development where she lives in Homestead, Fla., south of Miami, Patricia Newlan said that 10 of 87 units are in foreclosure, which has driven up maintenance fees for everyone else and caused other problems. “Honestly, I’m not sure what Romney intends to do specifically on that issue, but I’m leaning toward him,” she said. “He comes across as a smart businessman.”

John Briggs, a nuclear plant worker who lives in Islamorada, Fla., agreed, saying: “I would like to hear what his plan is, but he’s had an impressive career. I have more faith in him than the others to turn the economy around.”

Chris Vellanti, who lives in Tampa, is a real estate investor still recovering from the loss of three of his five properties to foreclosure in 2009. “I’m going to vote for Romney by default,” he said. “I’m a product of my environment, being born and raised by staunch Republicans. I’m a believer in laissez-faire. And I’ll take any Republican over Obama.”

Mr. Vellanti continued: “My brother is a Realtor, and I don’t think he’s sold a house in a year. I blame the recession on the Democrats in Congress that wanted everyone to own a home, even if they couldn’t afford it.”

Analysts expect downward pressure on home prices and foreclosures to hamper the Florida real estate market for at least the next two years.

“The fact is that there’s no easy answer, no magic bullet that some candidate is going to think of,” said Brad Hunter, a chief economist for Metrostudy, a firm that analyzes housing and development across the country. “A candidate talking to Floridians is going to be asked, ‘What are you going to do to help us?’ And there’s no easy answer.”

For the moment, Mr. Romney seems to be relying on optimism.

“It will get better,” he said at a round-table discussion on Monday morning in Tampa, speaking to a woman at risk of losing her home. “It won’t always be like this. This is a detour.”