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A boom in apartment construction is helping to curb rents but not all renters will benefit

Associated Press

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Melissa Lombana, 43, a high school teacher and mountain bike enthusiast, poses for a picture while working online, in her one-bedroom apartment in Miramar, Fla., Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Lombana's rent has increased each of the last two years and now amounts to nearly half her monthly income. "In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all," she said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Web designer Joey Di Girolamo, 50, poses for a picture inside his apartment, along with dog Khaleesi, Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Pembroke Pines., Fla. Di Girolamo, who has worked from home since the pandemic, had to downsize from a two-bedroom to one-bedroom apartment, due to rent increases. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Web designer Joey Di Girolamo, 50, poses for a picture outside his apartment building, Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Pembroke Pines., Fla. Di Girolamo, who has worked from home since the pandemic, had to downsize from a two-bedroom to one-bedroom apartment, due to rent increases. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Melissa Lombana, 43, a high school teacher and mountain bike enthusiast, speaks inside her one-bedroom apartment in Miramar, Fla., Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Lombana's rent has increased each of the last two years and now amounts to nearly half her monthly income. "In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all," she said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Melissa Lombana, 43, a high school teacher and mountain bike enthusiast, sits on the patio of her one-bedroom apartment in Miramar, Fla., Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Lombana's rent has increased each of the last two years and now amounts to nearly half her monthly income. "In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all," she said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Web designer Joey Di Girolamo, 50, works at his desk with dog Khaleesi snuggled at his feet, Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Pembroke Pines., Fla. Di Girolamo, who has worked from home since the pandemic, had to downsize from a two-bedroom to one-bedroom apartment, due to rent increases. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Web designer Joey Di Girolamo, 50, works at a desk up in a kitchen nook, Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Pembroke Pines., Fla. Di Girolamo, who has worked from home since the pandemic, had to downsize from a two-bedroom to one-bedroom apartment, due to rent increases. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Melissa Lombana, 43, a high school teacher and mountain bike enthusiast, adjusts the blinds inside her one-bedroom apartment in Miramar, Fla., Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Lombana's rent has increased each of the last two years and now amounts to nearly half her monthly income. "In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all," she said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Melissa Lombana, 43, a high school teacher and mountain bike enthusiast, poses for a picture while working online, in her one-bedroom apartment in Miramar, Fla., Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Lombana's rent has increased each of the last two years and now amounts to nearly half her monthly income. "In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all," she said. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)