Is Our Quality of Life Getting Better or Worse?

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In spite of the complaints that arise in most fast-growing areas, Southwest Floridians really enjoy the quality of life along the Gulfshore, according to a survey commissioned by Gulfshore Life and NBC2/Waterman Broadcasting. Mason Dixon Polling and Research, based in Washington, D.C., asked 400 randomly selected adults in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties for their opinions on a range of issues, from public schools and environmental conservation to traffic and growth management.

On the whole, points out Mason Dixon owner and managing director Brad Coker, "They rate [the] quality of life very highly-83 percent [called it] 'excellent' or 'good.' That's a little higher than other parts of the country, which I would expect in Southwest Florida."

For many people, the benchmark for comparison isn't Southwest Florida in former days as much as other places they've lived or traveled.

South Fort Myers resident Tom Vu, 68, is originally from Vietnam and spent 21 years in Canada. He rates the Gulf Coast as "excellent."

"I took early retirement and moved down here to enjoy life," he says. "The best part is the weather and the beach, and there are so many golf courses. That's why I'm here." In fact, 41 percent of respondents said the weather, recreation and beaches are what drew them to the area.

Equally enthusiastic are Helen and Paddy Moore of Fort Myers Beach. Helen, 68, a Pennsylvania native who's lived here since 1979, and English-born Paddy, 74, who moved here in 1995, also cite the beach and golf courses among the region's primary attributes. "We like it even in season," says Paddy. Traffic congestion is a downside, he acknowledges, "but we go along with it."

Growth and Traffic

Many people aren't as sanguine about traffic as the Moores. "Traffic congestion/lack of roads" was rated by 22 percent of those polled as the region's primary problem. The only problem rated more serious was growth and overdevelopment, at 47 percent.

"You've got 59 percent saying residential development is 'much too fast'-58 percent in Collier, 60 percent in [both] Lee and Charlotte," says Coker.

In a very clear verdict, 64 percent of the respondents said they would support halting all residential and commercial development until the infrastructure (such as schools and roads) is in place to handle the growth.

Vu has mixed feelings about whether government is doing enough to address growth and traffic. "If they want to do more, they have to raise taxes, and that's one thing I don't want to see."

Naples resident Amy LaGrasta, 29, who grew up in the area, figures residential and commercial development is reasonably proportionate to the population growth in the area, "Traffic is my No. 1 issue," she says. "I've seen it increase every year."

Of those surveyed, 34 percent pointed each to local government and seasonal residents as responsible for traffic congestion; another 21 percent blamed state government. And while road quality was judged "poor" by 41 percent of respondents, 48 percent opposed increasing local taxes to fund road construction.

High Costs

For John Sivillo, 32, a Long Island native who has lived in the Naples area for seven years, the primary problem in Collier County is the high cost of living. That makes it difficult for those who aren't wealthy to enjoy a good lifestyle. The cost of living is similar to that in Long Island, he says, but lower salaries here fail to balance out the living standard.

Connie Schluter, 57, a 20-year Fort Myers resident who hails from Iowa, agrees that housing costs and salaries are out of whack. "They should make more [housing] for middle-income and lower-income people. It's too hard for young people starting out. I've got a son who's really struggling," she adds.

According to 48 percent of those surveyed, the cost of living is "very high," and 71 percent in Collier reported housing costs as a "major problem." Seventy-seven percent in Collier also see it as "a major deterrent for businesses to move here."

Desiree Barraez, 36, a mother of two, has been vacationing for several months every summer for the past six years in Naples. It's not too far from family and friends in Miami, where she and her husband went to college, "but it's more tranquil, calmer, less noise." They're preparing to move back to the United States from the United Arab Emirates, but the cost of living here is a shock.

Environment

When it comes to environmental conservation and park maintenance, Collier and Charlotte residents are more satisfied than those in Lee County. Fifty-three percent in Collier and 49 percent in Charlotte said local government is doing enough "to preserve nature." That compares to 36 percent in Lee, where battles have raged in recent years over conservation issues including water quality in the Caloosahatchee and estuaries, red tide, red drift algae and the development of Babcock Ranch-which lies mostly in Charlotte, but is expected to have a big impact on Lee County.

Barraez, who would like more parks and open space, is not convinced environmental protection efforts are having much impact. "I had heard they had stopped construction of new development to protect the Everglades, but it doesn't seem like that. Every year we come [to Naples], you see more growth and more construction around [the Everglades]."

Shopping, Culture and Recreation

Collier respondents were much happier with shopping opportunities than their counterparts in Lee and Charlotte counties. "Quality and variety of retail shopping" was rated "excellent" by 45 percent in Collier, compared to 27 percent each in Lee and Charlotte.

Cultural activities earned more balanced responses. Theater quality was pronounced "excellent" or "good" by 66 percent in Lee, 59 percent in Collier and 47 percent in Charlotte. Art quality rated "excellent" or "good" by 68 percent in Collier, 53 percent in Lee and 46 percent in Charlotte. And for music, 61 percent in both Lee and Collier and 53 percent in Charlotte said it was "excellent" or "good."

The survey indicates that those aged 65 and over were most satisfied that there are enough recreational activities for all ages, with 66 percent agreeing. In younger age groups, around half said "yes."

For Barraez, shortage of recreation is one of the main downsides to Naples. "This is a town for retired people," she says, "If we were to stay here, we'd like to see more activities for children."

Healthcare

Survey results are fairly positive for healthcare. "People would mostly stay in the area for treatment," Coker points out, and 66 percent rate healthcare "excellent" or "good."

"That's pretty good," says Coker. However, he adds, "There's quite a difference between Lee and Charlotte. In Lee, 69 percent rate healthcare as 'excellent' or 'good,' in Charlotte only 44 percent." In Collier, it's a high 74 percent.

Helen Moore, who had a quadruple bypass in Lee County, raves about her physicians. "All mine are wonderful," she says. "[Southwest Florida has] so many specialists, and I've used quite a few specialists, so I know," she adds, laughing.

Will It Last?

The Gulfshore's enviable quality of life continues to lure people, but what is the point of diminishing returns? It's relative to expectations and experience.

"The overall picture is fairly positive," says Coker. "People who live there are having a good life. The question is: How many more people can they move in there and sustain it? You want to leave an open door and continue to grow and have high quality of life, but at what point do you start killing it off with traffic and big-city problems? How long will it take before it gets to the point where people start to bail?"

Some Southwest Floridians have hit that point

and moved away, but plenty of others are delighted to be here.

"People who have been here 20 to 30 years are leaving because they think it's too much," says Sivillo. The region has problems, but not like Long Island, he says. "I come from an area that's overcrowded."

For Vu, the Gulfshore also beats Vietnam, where the climate is similar, and Canada. "I enjoy living here, so I don't think much about the bad sides or good sides. It's better than the other places I've lived."

IN PERSPECTIVE

We asked a few who influence the region's quality of life for their views on those issues here.

State Rep. Dudley Goodlette

Since Goodlette arrived with his family in Collier County and entered first grade, quality of life in a whole spectrum of ways "has improved dramatically," he says. "Recreation, theater, the Philharmonic-those add to, in my judgment, the quality of life."

Except for the traffic congestion that it generates, Goodlette vigorously disagrees that growth is a problem for Southwest Florida, and suggests that those who see it as such are newcomers who want to slam the proverbial gate behind them.

"I absolutely do not agree with that," he says, responding to survey findings that growth and overdevelopment rank as the Gulfshore's No. 1 problem. "We've tried to direct and control growth and still recognize that people do have property rights and have certain inalienable rights."

Goodlette is concerned about affordable housing for a range of people, from retirees on fixed incomes to essential personnel and others. "It's a shame that people who have jobs in the coastal region [of Collier County] aren't able to reside in closer proximity."