Affordability crisis in Collier County: first responders struggling to live where they work

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Firefighters protecting Collier County say they can’t afford to live there.

Before the sun comes up, firefighters with Greater Naples Fire Rescue District are already on the road — some driving from across Southwest Florida just to get to work.

“All the way from Davie County and Miami, Lehigh Acres and everywhere in between,” said Fire Commissioner Pat Dearborn.

That reality was front and center at a roundtable on affordable housing in Collier County, where local leaders brought their concerns directly to Senator Rick Scott.

Dearborn says more than half of the firefighters working in Collier County don’t live there.

“Over 50% who work here in Greater Naples Fire Rescue… have to commute from somewhere else,” he said.

The reason, he says, comes down to cost.

Dearborn, who is also a realtor, says the average home price in Collier County is around $700,000, while a starting firefighter's salary is about $60,000.

And it’s not just firefighters.

Local leaders at the roundtable said teachers and law enforcement officers are struggling to afford housing, with some living in their cars.

“I have a lieutenant that calls me and says I have a deputy sleeping in his car, can you help him?” said Michael Overway with the Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County. “Our major population of the homeless is not the person flying the sign outside… a majority of them are working-class individuals.”

Those concerns were shared directly with Senator Rick Scott, who pointed to a bill he recently introduced.

“My bill basically says that we're going to provide a tax break for people to get their first house,” Scott said.

The proposal would create a tax-advantaged savings account for first-time homebuyers — allowing people to set aside thousands of dollars each year, and let that money grow without being taxed, as long as it’s used for a down payment on a home.

The idea is to help buyers save faster in a market where upfront costs are one of the biggest barriers to homeownership.

Some local leaders say that while efforts like that could help, it will likely take more to make living in Collier County affordable for the workers who serve it.