WIMAUMA, Fla. — Wimauma is an area that is rapidly changing as developers move in. Farmland is transforming into large luxury apartments and homes.
As development continues in the area, parts of the community are shrinking due to the unaffordable prices. It's not uncommon to see signs alerting people of new homes in Wimauma. Years back, it was filled with fields.
Those who work with low-income families see this impacting people who live and work in Wimauma.
"What is impacting our families this is this housing that’s coming in," said an employee with Redlands Christian Migrant Association, Macrina Vega.
Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) is a child care program helping those in need. The organization focuses on early childhood education and health care assistance. RCMA can make sure children are receiving the right education by supplying Wi-Fi hotspots and tablets for homework.
The organization started decades ago when there was an obvious need for childcare.
"The Mennonites saw that there was a need for child care because the kids were being taken to the fields," Vega explained.
Vega knows that because she was in that situation. Years ago when she was a child, she was in the fields with her parents as they worked. Back then, Vega recalled there was no child care in Wimauma. That meant some children were doing dangerous work.
Thankfully, RCMA was able to take children out of that situation.
"Getting the kids out of the field, getting hurt, getting exposed to pesticides, getting run over by the tractors," Vega said those were some of the few things that would happen to children.
RCMA was able to give children another outlet, allowing them to learn and grow.
"They’re in an educational place. We give them hot meals... breakfast, lunch and a snack," Vega explained.
Thanks to state and federal funding, RCMA helps families who qualify. It’s mainly Hispanic and Black families who work on the farms.
"Our families are not only come from Mexico, they come from Oaxaca or some from Venezuela. We are also seeing from Haiti now," Vega explained.
Times are changing for families as new developments move in. Families can't afford the high home prices.
"We did have two farmers sell their property to the housing and to TECO," Vega said. She explained that means less work for people and more expensive housing: "Our families cannot afford that."
10 Tampa reached out to an associate professor of finance at the University of South Florida, Lei Wedge — she's also registered in real estate. She looked into the home and rent prices in Wimauma.
"In Wimauma, the home prices already passed those in Riverview and Ruskin. The home prices are about the same as Tampa," Wedge said.
For families who are looking to rent, the price is no better.
"Even apartments start at $1,800... rent it’s close to Tampa," Wedge said.
As someone who researches real estate in the Tampa Bay area, Wedge doesn’t see costs coming down any time soon.
"The problem is that home prices are very expensive and rent prices always correspond to home prices," Wedge said. That leaves low-income people in a worse situation.
"Builders went in and bought all the land from the farmers. So now, they just put all nice new developed homes there," Wedge explained.
Unfortunately, Vega sees the impact that’s having on families: "We’re seeing more and more homeless."
That's why RCMA exists: To help those who are struggling and can't afford rising costs. RCMA employees are hoping to get more help in the area. There have been community meetings with officials so their voices can be heard.
They are asking for more resources. One change they would like to see in their community is having a public library in Wimauma.