Out of the Gloom

Michael Timmerman has been making forecast presentations to developers and builders in the Fort Myers-Naples area for 17 years, but he wasn't exactly the most popular guy in recent years because of the bad news he was bearing.

“I'm not wearing a flak jacket this year,” jokes Timmerman. “Things are finally moving in the right direction.”

At a recent meeting of the Urban Land Institute in Fort Myers, Timmerman says population growth is fueling the recovery. “I haven't been this busy in five years,” says Timmerman, a senior associate with Fishkind & Associates in Naples. “Our recovery is finally under way,” he says.