Royal Coach Village residents say rising lot rent forces impossible choices

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Mobile home residents in a North Fort Myers community say rising lot rent is forcing some seniors on fixed incomes to cut back on food, gas, medication, and the retirement life they came to Florida for.

Neighbors in the Royal Coach Village community brought their concerns to WINK Listens in Cape Coral. By pure happenstance, 18 neighbors all came for the same reason—the rising cost of lot rent.

Mobile home residents can own their homes without owning the land beneath them. They rent the land on which those homes sit.

"It's too much for words anymore," one woman said.

Gail Lewis told WINK News she receives $548 a month from Social Security, while her rent is $913. The strain isn't just financial—it's becoming personal.

"Emotionally, my husband and I fight all the time. We do. 'Cause we can't go nowhere," Lewis said.

Neighbors say leaving isn't simple. Moving a mobile home can be expensive, selling can mean taking a loss, and high lot rent can make it harder to find a buyer.

"It's a prison in there. You're stuck," one neighbor said.

When hand-painted pinecones become the day's activity, Lewis says retirement doesn't feel like what she moved here for.

"I hand-paint them because of boredom. I mean, there's nothing to do," Lewis said. "I wanted to come down here and enjoy myself, go run a jet ski or, you know, go to the beaches, go to the zoo, somewhere, and you can't. Go fishing. Who can afford it?"

The management office at Royal Coach Village referred WINK News to its Tampa-based owner. 

Our team contacted the company several times but has not received a response. 

WINK News reached out several times, and the company has not responded.

WINK News also reached out to state lawmakers about what protections mobile home residents have in these cases. Some residents say the state should cap lot rent increases.