Workers getting priced out as soaring rents take heavy toll in Southwest Florida

Tommas Murray fears he could soon live on the streets in Southwest Florida. By the end of July, he and his brother have to move out of the rental they’ve shared for 12 years in North Naples. The landlord isn’t renewing the lease, with the duplex they live in up for sale.

For months, the brothers, who are in their 50s, have looked for another place to rent, from Naples to Port Charlotte, but they’ve found nothing in their budget.

“Everything is expensive,” Tommas said.

The Murrays aren’t alone.

Their story is all too familiar, a reflection of an affordable housing crisis that continues to clobber low- and middle-income residents and families across the region, as they face inflation at every turn — from the grocery aisle to the gas pump.

Rents have skyrocketed. In some cases, they’ve more than doubled in a year.

In affluent Naples, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment now tops $2,800, up nearly 60% from a year ago, according to listing site rent.com.

That’s far from affordable. In America, the age-old rule is you shouldn’t spend more than 30% of your income on housing costs. Based on that government standard, if you — or your household — earn $100,000 a year before taxes, you could afford to pay $3,000 a

month (on rent or a mortgage). While the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Fort Myers is less than in Naples, it’s still steep — at $1,890 a month, and it’s risen 22% since last year, according to rent.com.

For all of Lee County, the median household income sits at $83,200 (for a family of four). In Collier, it’s $98,600.

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