Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s DayFort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
CAPE CORAL Goth Gala for the Forlorn; How the alt scene honored Valentine’s Day Love Your Rebellion hosted the Goth Gala for the Forlorn at Nice Guys Pizza in Cape Coral on Friday night.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.
the weather authority Near-record heat with sun and clouds for your Saturday The Weather Authority says the above-normal temperatures that Southwest Florida has been experiencing will stick around yet again for Saturday.
LEE COUNTY Savannah Bananas bring fun on the diamond at JetBlue Park The Savannah Bananas amazed and entertained a sold out JetBlue Park Friday night for the first time in Southwest Florida.
CAPE CORAL Caught on Camera: Cape Coral mailbox hit by drifting car A Cape Coral homeowner was left in shock after a car sent her mailbox flying through the air and left tire tracks next to her home.
ARCADIA DeSoto County man sentenced for deadly DUI crash Justice for a mother and son killed by a man driving under the influence.
NAPLES Oldest Black-owned business in SWFL continues to serve community Cleveland Bass Movers, founded in 1969, stands as the oldest Black-owned business in Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.
St. James City Church plans $700k flood-proofing project for future safety Hurricanes have caused flood after flood, and one island church, The First Baptist Church of Saint James City, wants to build higher.
Romance scams rise in the US, AARP warns residents to beware Romance scams are on the rise, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 64,000 cases in the U.S. in 2023.
Fort Myers Savannah Bananas make their way to Fort Myers for first time The Savannah Bananas have made their way to JetBlue Park for Friday’s sold-out game in Fort Myers to watch “the greatest show in sports.”
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Yacht Club receives key permit Cape Coral received a key permit for a Yacht Club Community Park. This permit opens up the necessary steps for the park to be built.
PORT CHARLOTTE Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church holds 31st annual Greek Fest The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Port Charlotte kicked off its 31st annual Greek Fest on Friday.
Donations helping young kids get fed Food insecurity is a pressing issue in the community, and organizations like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Meals of Hope and the Guadalupe Center are stepping up to help.
New risk factors contribute to heart disease February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to assess your heart health.
crosslandproperties.com/ MGN ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s premier property database, today released its 2019 Rental Affordability Report, which shows that renting a three-bedroom property is more affordable than buying a median-priced home in 442 of 755 U.S. counties analyzed for the report — 59 percent. The analysis incorporated recently released fair market rent data for 2019 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics along with public record sales deed data from ATTOM Data Solutions in 755 U.S. counties with sufficient home sales data (see full methodology below). “With rental affordability outpacing home affordability in the majority of U.S. housing markets, and home prices rising faster than rental rates, the American dream of owning a home, may be just that — a dream, “said Jennifer von Pohlmann, director of content and PR at ATTOM Data Solutions. “With home price appreciation increasing annually at an average of 6.7 percent in those counties analyzed for this report and rental rates increasing an average of 3.5 percent, coupled with the fact that home prices are outpacing wages in 80 percent of the counties, renting a home is clearly becoming the more attractive option in this volatile housing market.” Renting more affordable than buying in nation’s most populated counties Renting is more affordable than buying a home in the nation’s 18 most populated counties and in 37 of 40 counties with a population of 1 million or more (93 percent) — including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Harris County (Houston), Texas; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; and San Diego County, California. Other markets with a population of more than 1 million where it is more affordable to rent than to buy a home included counties in Miami, New York City, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Francisco and Boston Among the 40 U.S. counties analyzed in the report with a population of 1 million or more, the three where it is more affordable to buy a home than rent were Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; and Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio. Least affordable rental markets in Northern California, Hawaii, D.C. The report shows that renting a three-bedroom property requires an average of 38.0 percent of weekly wages across the 755 counties analyzed for the report. The least affordable markets for renting are Santa Cruz County, California (81.7 percent of average wages to rent); Honolulu County, Hawaii (74.4 percent); Spotsylvania County, Virginia (73.0 percent); Maui County, Hawaii (69.5 percent); San Benito County, California (68.6 percent); Monroe County, Florida (67.3 percent); Sonoma County (Santa Rosa area), California (66.0 percent); Marin County (San Francisco area), California (65.6 percent); and Kings County, New York (63.7 percent). Most affordable rental markets in Ohio, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania The most affordable markets for renting are Roane County (Knoxville area), Tennessee (19.7 percent of average wages to rent); Peoria County, Illinois (23.8 percent); Mcminn County (Athens), Tennessee (23.8 percent); Green County (Dayton), Ohio (24.2 percent); and Rhea County (Dayton area), Ohio (24.6 percent). Among counties with a population of 1 million or more, those most affordable for renting are Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania (25.1 percent); Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio (25.6 percent); Saint Louis County, Missouri (26.4 percent); Oakland County (Detroit area), Michigan (26.7 percent); and Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan (27.7 percent). Rent growth outpacing wage growth in 52 percent of markets Average fair market rents rose faster than average weekly wages in 394 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report (52 percent), including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Harris County (Houston), Texas; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; and San Diego County, California. Average weekly wages rose faster than average fair market rents in 361 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report (48 percent), including Kings County (Brooklyn), New York; Queens County, New York; Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada; Tarrant County (Dallas-Fort Worth), Texas; Santa Clara (San Jose), California; Broward County (Miami), Florida; and Alameda (San Francisco), California. Home prices rising faster than wages in 80 percent of markets Median home prices rose faster than average weekly wages in 601 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report (80 percent), including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Harris County (Houston), Texas; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; San Diego County, California; Orange County, California; and Miami-Dade County, Florida. Average weekly wages rose faster than median home prices in 154 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report (20 percent), including Kings County (Brooklyn), New York; Queens County, New York; King County (Seattle), Washington; Suffolk County, New York; and Bronx County, New York. Home prices rising faster than rents in 70 percent of markets Median home prices rose faster than average fair market rents in 531 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report, including Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Harris County (Houston), Texas; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; Kings County (Brooklyn), New York; Queens County, New York; and Riverside County, California. Average fair market rents rose faster than median home prices in 224 of the 755 counties analyzed in the report (30 percent), including Los Angeles County, California; San Diego County, California; Orange County, California; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Dallas County, Texas; and Kings County (Seattle), Washington. Methodology For this report, ATTOM Data Solutions looked at 50th percentile average rental data for three-bedroom properties in 2018 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with Q2 2018 average weekly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (most recent available) and January-November (YTD) 2018 home price data from ATTOM Data Solutions publicly recorded sales deed data in 755 counties nationwide. Rental affordability is average fair market rent for a three-bedroom property as a percentage of the average monthly wage (based on average weekly wages). Home buying affordability is the monthly house payment for a median-priced home (based on a 3 percent down payment and including mortgage, property tax, homeowner’s insurance and private mortgage insurance) as a percentage of the average monthly wage.