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July 25, 2008 4:10:37 PM CDT

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Soaring Costs Force Workers Out of Key West

Posted Feb 10, 08 5:58 PM CST in Arts & Living,  US 

(Newser) – High Key West housing costs are sparking an exodus of residents and leaving the island's tourists with too few people to serve them, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some 2,000 workers have fled in the past 7 years, a crushing blow to a county that houses 75,000 residents but serves 2.25 million overnight tourists each year.

Monroe county stopped construction of hotels 10 years ago to guard the environment, but triggered a wave of lodging upgrades and high-end housing. Now the county has a swelling 38% vacancy rate and finds it hard to trim with wages 9% lower than the mainland average. “Whether it’s the teaching profession or the hotel business, we have a shortage of warm bodies," a tour company owner said.

Source Los Angeles Times

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Graffiti is written on a wall where the Harbor House development, a luxury gated community, is under construction in Key West, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. The development will attract an upscale...   (Associated Press)
A roof is lowered onto a building at the Parrot Key, an upscale resort, in Key West, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. The Florida Keys are at a crossroads, beset by shortages of high-paying jobs and affordable...   (Associated Press)
A house in Key West. Skyrocketing home prices are forcing an exodus from the area.   (Shutterstock.com)
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US economy  • workers  • housing industry  • service industry  • Florida Keys


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