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But economists disagree on whether increased building costs brought on by labor and material shortages could take some air out of the local housing bubble.

One big unknown: If residents are forced to pick up most of the tab for Wilma's estimated $1 billion in Collier County damage because claims don't meet insurance deductible thresholds - which have soared - will consumers hold back spending on other things?

Not likely in affluent Collier County, which boasts Florida's highest median home price, at more than $500,000, and the state's highest per capita income.

Says Robert Hartwig, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute: "No matter how many hurricanes hit the state of Florida, people will continue to move there."

But some economists, including Mesirow Financial's chief economist Diane Swonk, think Wilma may slow down the Naples housing market and put the brakes on speculation, which she thinks is good, long-term.

Statewide, Wilma's damage could total $6 to $10 billion in insured losses, making it as costly as Hurricane Charley and more expensive than each of three other storms that punished Florida last season, insurance officials say.

That Collier County - where Wilma made landfall - doesn't have more damage is amazing. The potential for high-dollar damage here is great, given Naples' luxury home market, which before Wilma garnered national headlines as one of the hottest housing markets in the country.

On Gulfshore Boulevard, two condo towers had major damage, but together the buildings accounted for $135 million of Wilma's estimated $378 million damage tab in the city of Naples.

Local economic development officials hope the area's seasonal residents, who normally start trickling in around this time, may come earlier to check on their homes and end up staying longer than they normally would.

Ninety percent of Collier County was without electricity the day after Wilma. With much of downtown Naples without power all week, many businesses couldn't reopen.

Johnny Nocera, the Naples councilman who has owned Supreme Auto Body on Fourth Avenue North for 31 years, had 27 hurricane-damaged vehicles in the parking lot of his business by week's end.

At first blush, it looks like his business might profit from the storm. But on closer inspection, one notices the chain link fence where the blown-off garage doors used to be. There's also the hum of the $10,000 worth of generators that are keeping the shop operating.

Combs spent $20,000 on generators. He opened his bar and restaurant at noon Monday - just hours after the storm passed - and word spread quickly that he had hot fries and cold beer to sell.

Owner Roberta Platt said business this week was better than she thought it would be because her shop was one of the few florists open. She filled orders for the hospital, birthdays, anniversaries and a few thank-yous for people who took care of others during the hurricane.

Vegetable losses in Collier and neighboring Hendry County could top hundreds of millions of dollars and citrus losses could reach more than a half billion dollars, growers and state officials say.

"We've had a lot of fruit and a lot of trees turned over," said John Hoffman, citrus manager for Barron Collier Cos. in Immokalee. "It was bad."

Jamie Williams, farm director for Six Ls, isn't optimistic about salvaging the farm's tomato crop. Wilma crippled the entire tomato industry, Williams said. Besides crops in the field that got destroyed, so too did the greenhouses that supply plants.

Migrant workers, many who found themselves without homes or food after Wilma hit, also won't have jobs in three or four weeks when clean-up is done and there's nothing to pick.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, who viewed the state's devastated fields by helicopter on Tuesday, said agriculture took Wilma's biggest pounding.

Even before Wilma hit, many farmers in eastern Collier were getting offers for their land from developers. With another crop wiped out, those offers may look a lot more tempting.

About half of all Collier homes got hit with some type of minor damage, county officials estimate. Because Wilma delivered a little damage to a lot of people, residents could end up picking up most of the $1 billion-plus tab because of insurance deductibles that typically require claims to be more than 2 percent of a home's insured value.

The deductible thresholds can amount to big dollars in this luxury real estate market where home values have soared faster than anywhere in the nation in the last year and some beachfront mansions top $25 million.

"The damage is widespread even if there are not large amounts of catastrophic damage," Collier Commission Chairman Fred Coyle said. "Widespread damage means one thing: The residents will bear most of the financial burden of recovery from the damage of this hurricane."

But while Wilma only scraped Collier's sturdy structures, she smashed Collier's mobile home communities - shredding them in a path along U.S. 41 East.

Based on early totals, officials estimate that Wilma obliterated 615 mobile homes - with a fourth of those in Immokalee. Another 276 mobile homes suffered major damage.

About a third of all pool cages in Collier County had damage. Wilma destroyed only two single-family homes in the unincorporated area of Collier County and inflicted major damage on 78 single-family homes and 40 condos. Another 874 single-family homes had light damage, as did 28 condos.

But Wilma's damage was far less than what it could have been. Florida's top 20 insurance companies have $26 billion worth of homes and buildings insured in Collier County. The market value of all property is estimated at $78 billion, including land.

Winners in Wilma's wake are screen companies and area tree removal businesses, some of which had crews out with chainsaws almost immediately after winds died down.

Now Wilma will make labor and materials shortages even worse. Already, cement costs are up 8 percent, gypsum is up 12 percent, and pre-mixed concrete is up 14 percent over last year.

Hoteliers are most concerned about getting out word that Naples and Marco Island are OK. Many are already up and running after suffering losses for the week.

Inge Gorsen, a concierge host for Private Escapes of Marco, had already been telling the firm's customers to come to Marco Island for vacation.

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