Table 9. The number of housing units in Southwest Florida in 1950, 1960, and 

 1970 and their percent of the State totals in parentheses (U.S. Department of 

 Commerce 1951, 1961, 1971). 



Items 



1950 



1968 



1970 



Housing units 



Southwest Florida 

 Florida 



213,173 



952,131 



(22.4) 



434,488 

 1,996,961 

 (24.5) 



630,843 

 2,526,536 

 (25.0) 



Vacancies 



Southwest Florida 

 Florida 



26,771 



111,458 



(24.0) 



63,422 



226,547 



(28.0) 



60,558 



241,826 



(25.0) 



Includes both vacant year-round units and vacant seasonal and migratory 

 units. 



PROJECTED TRENDS IN HOUSING 



In 1980-2000 projected number of housing units for each county in South- 

 west Florida (Table 11) was calculated by taking the number of persons per 



housing unit (U.S. Department 

 basis of population projections 

 (1979). In 1977, for example, 

 Charlotte County would have a 

 and 79,600 in 2000. Since 

 59,115, the other estimates 

 2000. In these projections 

 per housing unit would remain 



Charlotte County). In this case, 1.7 was divided 

 number of housing units for Charlotte County was 

 and 53,514 in 2000. 



of Commerce 1981a) and extrapolating on the 



provided by the Florida Department of Commerce 



the Bureau of Economic Research estimated that 



population of 50,800 in 1980, 68,500 in 1990, 



the actual 1980 census for Charlotte County was 



were adjusted to 78,348 in 1990 and 90,973 in 



it was assumed that the average number of persons 



substantially the same as in 1980 (e.g 



into the projections 

 estimated at 46,087 



1.7 for 

 and the 

 in 1990 



DATA GAPS AND RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS 



A serious problem concerning residential development in Southwest Florida 

 is that of differentiating between housing units being used by permanent resi- 

 dents and housing units used for temporary residents and tourists. If the 

 latter were merely a matter of motel and hotel rooms, this would not be a 

 problem, but many vacationers rent single-family homes and units in multi- 

 family dwellings for a week, a month, or a season. In addition, an increasing 

 number of people are now purchasing time-sharing units on a weekly or bi- 

 weekly basis. Information on time-sharing units is not contained in the census 



64 



