The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association’s premier event — its Showcase of Homes — continues this weekend and next.

Featuring 15 models ranging in price from around $400,000 to more than $3 million, the annual three-weekend event allows those considering a new home to “connect with builders who know — and care about — Cape Coral.”

For those considering new construction or just checking out trends, it’s always an interesting event and we can tell you from past personal experience, it’s kind of like a friendly round of speed dating where you might just fall in love with “the one.”

The showcase, which opened on Jan. 20, continues on select days though Feb. 5.

Touring hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The featured models are scattered throughout the Cape with most clustered in the northwest and southwest, giving those taking what the CCCIA calls a self-guided tour a look at various neighborhoods in addition to a range of homes.

Looking for something specific?

We invite you to see the story on page 6A which lists awards in eight categories for everything from best pool or interior design to best overall.

We thank the CCCIA for its efforts to again coordinate this event and we thank all of the builders who agreed to participate despite the havoc Hurricane Ian has wrought on the construction industry and the families whose livelihoods so rely.

There is much more to events such as the annual Showcase of Homes than meets the eye, however.

The construction industry is a primary economic driver here in Southwest Florida.

“Builders” not only provide homes for the people flocking here but good-paying jobs for the industry’s vast array of professionals; additional revenue streams for existing businesses; the “rooftops” needed to attract new businesses; additional taxes for city services and programs and, ultimately, the new jobs fostered by a vibrant economy.

Also despite Hurricane Ian, the news on this economic front is continuing to show positive signs.

So far, for Fiscal Year 2023, which began in October, the city has issued 20,962 permits of all types. Understandable, given the damage wrought by the near Category 5 storm. According to that most recent Building and Permit Utilization Report, those permits issued in October, November and December include a substantive number for new homes — 837, down from the 1,026 issued during the same time frame last year but not by much, especially given the circumstances.

In fact, the city has not had a down construction year, save one, since the housing collapse of 2006-2009 whose ripple-effect impacted virtually every business and industry in our community.

There were 5,139 residential permits issued in 2022, a 23 percent increase of the previous year’s 4,183 — which was a whopping 84 percent increase of 2020’s 2,276.

The impact, in added property valuation alone?

New construction in Cape Coral, including commercial, added more than $1 billion to the city’s total property valuation last year, up from $620,499,525 more in 2021.

The industry provides more than 45,000 jobs countywide, with only the service related and health care sectors employing more workers.

Those are pretty big numbers.

And that’s a pretty big impact.

For more information on the CCCIA and the 2023 Builders’ Showcase of Homes, including a (Google-friendly) map and detailed imaging of each model home, visit www.cccia.org.

–Breeze editorial