From Englewood to Anna Maria, changing demographics over the past decade have transformed the Southwest Florida coastline, as thousands of permanent residents fled the beach for a variety of reasons and were replaced by hordes of vacationers.
According to the latest figures from last year’s census, coastal communities from northern Manatee to south Sarasota County saw a population drop of 5,200 people last decade, including more than 1,000 full-time residents on Anna Maria Island.
Other counties in Southwest Florida, including Lee, Charlotte and Pinellas, saw similar drops along the coast, with a few exceptions.
via Southwest Florida’s full-time residents are shifting inland.