Florida has a long history as a fantasy destination, apart from its plantations, fantasy is the state’s largest industry. It is not a coincidence that Disney World is built here. The construction of vacation and retirement homes is a large part of this. Easy credit and low interest during the Bush years stimulated the economy at the cost of unsustainable personal indebtedness. When the bill finally came due in November 2008, the Florida economy was one of the hardest hit.The shock was compounded because many of the home buyers were also dependent on the construction industry for their livelihood.

The area around Naples-Fort Myers was an epicentre of the collapse. At the beginning of 2009 the rate of unemployment and house foreclosures was among the highest in the nation. President Obama chose this place to make his first public address to the nation on the housing crisis in February 2009.

Most of the images in this serie were taken in the Naples-Fort Myers area in May and June 2009. They attempt to capture some of the pleasures, pains, and inconsistencies of the unsustainable dream of home ownership as it was practiced in this uniquely volatile environment of Southwest Florida during the year of its collapse.