Lehigh Acres draws priced-out Florida home buyers with $310,000 median sale price
By Main Street Independent
Lehigh Acres, an unincorporated area east of Fort Myers, has become a destination for Florida home buyers priced out of Miami and other high-cost metros, with a median sale price of $310,000 in May, roughly half the $652,000 median in Miami.
Teachers, police officers, and service workers priced out of coastal cities are driving demand in the exurban community, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Federal data released this year showed the Miami metro area’s cost of living has surpassed the New York metro area, pushing families toward inland areas.
The community’s last major development wave in the 2000s ran on easy credit and collapsed during the subprime mortgage crisis; the current building cycle is the largest since that bust.
Unincorporated area relies on Lee County services as population climbs to estimated 135,000
Lehigh Acres has no municipal government of its own and depends entirely on Lee County for services including law enforcement, road maintenance, and zoning enforcement.
The population has grown to an estimated 135,000 residents, according to county figures, placing strain on infrastructure designed for a much smaller community.
Rapid development has outpaced the county’s ability to expand roads, drainage, and utilities, with residents reporting traffic congestion and flooding as recurring problems.
The lack of local government means there is no city council or planning board accountable to residents; all land-use decisions flow through the county commission.