Realtors, city leaders taking on affordable housing crisis in Lee County

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
Affordable housing lee county
Construction in Lee County. Credit: WINK News

There are simply not enough affordable places to live for many families in Southwest Florida, and several local agencies are coming together in Lee County on Thursday to try to find a solution.

The Royal Palm Coast Realtors Association is hosting a housing symposium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 9802 Pelican Preserve Blvd. with the aim of raising awareness about the lack of affordable housing in Southwest Florida. Many people have either left or are considering leaving the area because they can’t afford to live here.

WINK News spoke with Lee County Commissioner Ray Sandelli, who will be one of the event’s panelists, and he says this meeting won’t immediately house individuals, but they want to figure out how big of a problem it is on a local, state and public level, and that will help them offer solutions. Sandelli says he sees how big of a challenge affordable housing is in our community, which is why he’s taking steps to figure out how things can be made easier for those looking for a home.

“It’s obviously increasingly challenging, whether it’s to rent or to buy a home today,” Sandelli said. “And with inflationary pressures that we’re feeling in the market across the board, it just adds to that, to that problem. So, the question is: How do we provide housing that is affordable to our workforce? And that workforce is important to sustaining the businesses that we do have.”

Whether you are renting or buying a home, prices keep climbing. In some places, leases will increase by $400 or more per month. Sandelli says the demand for housing is high right now, especially since many people still want to come and live here.

“It’s becoming increasingly expensive to live in our community,” Sandelli said. “And that’s across the board, no matter what kind of housing you’re looking for, but certainly one of the salient parts of that is our workforce housing. You know, people are working hard, inflationary pressures are putting additional pressures on family. How do you afford, whether it’s rent, or how do you afford to buy a place in these present conditions?”

Sandelli says he hopes this symposium can help them figure out some short-term goals to fix the affordable housing crisis in our community. Multiple other council members and local Realtors will be participating as well.

Those who aren’t members of the RPCRA can register for the event by emailing Education@RPCRA.org. The registration fee is $10.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.