Charlotte County real estate market perks up

Long an also-ran in Southwest Florida’s volatile real estate market, Charlotte County may be a contender after all – flying high on the wings of a newly robust influx of airline passengers.

“I’m a race fan and when I go to the race track (Three Palms Speedway in Punta Gorda) and talk to people, and most of them are not from around here,” said Florida Gulf Coast University law professor Pam Seay, a longtime Charlotte Airport commissioner.

One reason for the influx of newcomers is easy to see: in 2014, Punta Gorda Airport served 628,000 passengers last year, up from 110,000 in 2008 – mainly because of discounter Allegiant Airlines’ steadily growing list of flights to cities around the country.

But will all those new visitors stick around in sufficient numbers to boost the county’s home-building industry?

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