Boomtowns

As chairman of the Collier County Planning Commission, Mark Strain has a front-row seat to the rebound in development.

Because of its wealthy demographics, Collier County has demonstrated one of the most dramatic recoveries from the economic downturn of any area on the Gulf Coast. “These are good things to see happening,” Strain recently told a gathering of the Naples Area Board of Realtors.

Decades-old plans for areas east of Interstate 75 that languished during the downturn are once again becoming a focus for planners. “Our economy has been so good everything is being looked at again,” Strain says.