From Walton Sun
Businesses in South Walton are having trouble finding reliable help. High gas prices, lack of affordable housing and a small workforce are causing problems.
With no affordable housing in the area, employees have to drive from miles away.
?It isn?t convenient for them to drive all the way from Panama City or Freeport to work here,? said Yianni Georgiades, owner of Yianni?s Seagrove Grille. ?This is a year round problem. It?s a bigger problem during the summer when things get busier.?
The increase in gas prices only adds to Georgiades? troubles, he said.
Some businesses have to look outside the country to find help.
During the summer, Rosemary Beach gets many employees from Poland, said Sandy Reynolds, director of human resources for Rosemary Beach.
?Poland has an explorers program for students who want to go over seas,? Reynolds said. ?A company over there will handle all their paper work with immigration. They have to find their own housing and transportation.?
With the seasonal nature of work in a vacation community, it?s hard to get employees who only want to work just part of the year, Reynolds added.
With Rosemary Beach situated at the eastern end of County Road 30A, it can draw people from the Panama City area, Reynolds said.
Adams Homes does have housing in the lower end of the price spectrum available in South Walton.
In Driftwood Estates, single-family homes are available in the low $400,000 range, said Virginia Baker, Adams Homes sales manager for the Destin/South Walton area.
Our niche is maybe the middle manger type double-income family, Baker said.
People who are waiting tables would still probably have to drive to the area from Freeport or Bay County, Baker added.
To combat the lack of affordable housing for workers, Sandestin built its own employee housing, said Sylvia Hanks, Sandestin?s vice president for human recourses.
In March of last year several buildings with 462 apartments were built off U.S. Highway 98.
Having the ability to house college students and workers makes it a lot easier to retain employees, Hanks said.
Businesses in South Walton are having trouble finding reliable help. High gas prices, lack of affordable housing and a small workforce are causing problems.
With no affordable housing in the area, employees have to drive from miles away.
?It isn?t convenient for them to drive all the way from Panama City or Freeport to work here,? said Yianni Georgiades, owner of Yianni?s Seagrove Grille. ?This is a year round problem. It?s a bigger problem during the summer when things get busier.?
The increase in gas prices only adds to Georgiades? troubles, he said.
Some businesses have to look outside the country to find help.
During the summer, Rosemary Beach gets many employees from Poland, said Sandy Reynolds, director of human resources for Rosemary Beach.
?Poland has an explorers program for students who want to go over seas,? Reynolds said. ?A company over there will handle all their paper work with immigration. They have to find their own housing and transportation.?
With the seasonal nature of work in a vacation community, it?s hard to get employees who only want to work just part of the year, Reynolds added.
With Rosemary Beach situated at the eastern end of County Road 30A, it can draw people from the Panama City area, Reynolds said.
Adams Homes does have housing in the lower end of the price spectrum available in South Walton.
In Driftwood Estates, single-family homes are available in the low $400,000 range, said Virginia Baker, Adams Homes sales manager for the Destin/South Walton area.
Our niche is maybe the middle manger type double-income family, Baker said.
People who are waiting tables would still probably have to drive to the area from Freeport or Bay County, Baker added.
To combat the lack of affordable housing for workers, Sandestin built its own employee housing, said Sylvia Hanks, Sandestin?s vice president for human recourses.
In March of last year several buildings with 462 apartments were built off U.S. Highway 98.
Having the ability to house college students and workers makes it a lot easier to retain employees, Hanks said.
