It’s Easter Sunday and that signals the traditional end of the busy season. That means seasonal residents — who flocked here to escape the cold winter up north — have started heading back to their other homes. Many choose to go the way of the birds and fly home, rather than drive.

That’s why the phone is ringing off the hook at Auto Driveaway Co., a car delivery service located near Southwest Florida International Airport south of Fort Myers.

On Tuesday, more than 30 clients walked through his doors wanting their cars taken back north. He worked until 2 a.m. He will see more of the same over the next few weeks.

Lee County ranked as the top destination, attracting 8.5 percent, or more than 78,000, of them. Collier came in fourth at 5.2 percent, with nearly 48,000, after Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

Driver Randy Carter, with Young's Transport Inc., of Naples, loads vehicles onto a truck to transport cars from Naples to the Midwest. The transport service ships roughly 3,500 cars per year to and from the areas between and south of Cleveland and Chicago.

That means a mass exodus of Cadillacs, Lincolns and Lexuses. And traffic should start to ease in Southwest Florida in coming weeks as winter residents either drive themselves north or take advantage of services such as those offered by Auto Driveaway, which make it much easier for them to get home.

Lyon’s business is part of a national franchise, with 48 offices throughout the United States. Clients can have their cars transported on open or enclosed carriers.

Or they can have their car driven door-to-door by a professional driver. That’s the most popular service at Auto Driveaway — and the one Lyon recommends.

Over the years, Lyon has developed a loyal following. Many of his clients are older, fitting the demographic of most winter residents in Florida. The University of Florida study back in 2004 found the typical seasonal resident is older than 55.

Eighty-three-year-old Jim Alexander, a Naples winter resident, used Auto Driveaway to get his 2005 Cadillac DeVille back to Arkansas last week. He and his wife flew home on Thursday, instead of driving 1,300 miles.

Helen Schultz, 86, is another happy customer. The part-time Naples resident is back in Ohio and, when she arrived at the airport, her 2004 Pontiac Bonneville awaited her.

Lyon has been forced to increase his prices as fuel and insurance costs have risen. The door-to-door service costs about $1,000. Some winter residents take a different, less costly route to get their cars home, putting them onto a carrier.

On Friday, workers hustled to load nine cars onto a truck at Young’s Auto Transport Inc. off Yahl Street in Naples. The truck was headed to Indiana.

This spring, the company expects to take at least 500 cars north at a rate of about 50 a week. Young’s Auto Transport primarily serves customers with homes in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

A Florida Direct Auto Transport in Fort Myers has been in business about 25 years. It has five trucks that carry nine to 10 cars at a time. In season, it takes seven to 10 days to get the cars home because there are many stops along the way, said Charlene Vasquez, a company representative.

Despite the savings that can come with car carriers, some winter residents just prefer a more personalized, faster service. That’s what Gregg Taylor, a retired police officer from New Jersey, strives to offer with his Snowbird Car Service. His company takes cars from Florida to New Jersey and Philadelphia. Cars await the arrival of their owners at the airport. Taylor promises delivery within 24 hours.

About 30 of his regular customers spend the winter in Naples and on Marco Island. He also has customers in Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and on the east coast.

The company will pick up cars anywhere in Florida. Taylor drives many himself. He’s used to it after nearly 29 years patrolling the streets as a police officer.

The cost for the service is $700 to $800. The company isn’t bonded or insured, allowing Taylor to keep his rates lower. He said drivers are covered under the automobile owner’s policy.

Jim Rowland and his wife, Shirley, who are of “retirement age” and spend the winters on Marco Island, have used the Snowbird Car Service for the past few years. They have another home in New Jersey.

As hectic as it is now for Taylor, business soon will slow as summer draws nearer, chasing the last of the winter residents away. But, come January, he and other car delivery companies will be crazily busy again.

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