Rising gas prices hurting commuters, contractors in Collier County

Reporter: Jennifer Morejon Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
High gas price in Collier County. (Credit: WINK News)

A workforce struggling with affordable housing is now hit hard with another expense. The surge at the pump is hurting employees who already can’t afford to live in the county where they work.

The rising rent price in Collier County is forcing middle-class workers, including first responders, teachers, and nurses, to live somewhere else and commute.

It’s getting harder for the community as a whole. Those traveling for work and community members who receive certain services have to pay extra.

“People don’t want to pay these prices,” said electrical contractor David Zoglio.

Zoglio lives near North Port. On Wednesday, he was working in Collier County. Having to drive around for work, he feels the burden of fueling up two to three times per week. Each time, almost $100 down the drain compared to the $60 he said he used to pay.

“It makes me raise my prices for my customers, and they’re not happy about it. I have to put a gas charge on it and everything,” Zoglio said.

Like Zoglio, others are having to do the same. “The gas price just keeps going out of control,” said Gerry Brousseau, the owner of a construction company.

Brousseau uses diesel. “It’s going crazy. As you can see, the place I’m at now is like $4.99 a gallon and I just went by a gas station not far from here, and the diesel there was $5.39 a gallon. It’s a hit or miss on whether you can find a good price or not,” said Brousseau.

He says these rates affect him and his employee, some of whom live outside of the county and have to travel from job to job. “It’s impacting everybody’s wallet. I mean from the truckers to my employees, my suppliers, my company. I mean, all we can do is pass it on to the customers, and there’s not a thing else we can do on that,” Brousseau said.

WINK News checked with the director for business on 5th Avenue South in Naples to find out how the workers in the area are coping with these challenges. They said many of the employees use bikes and ride-sharing for transportation.

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