CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Thousands of people living in Cape Coral won't have to pay between $10,000 and $15,000 as part of the city's billion dollar utility expansion project. City council voted to postpone hooking up homes located in the southwest six and seven areas. They may be off the hook for now but might have to pay more later on.

David Plume's neighborhood has really been hit hard by Florida's housing troubles. "There was about five families on this street and now we are down to three," says Plummer.

His street is almost becoming the norm in the Cape.

"You just need to take a ride around the city and count how many vacant homes you are seeing and houses falling into repair problems," says Councilman Tim Day.

One burden City Council members won't be putting on the residents who are here, $10,000-$15,000 bill to hook into city sewer and water lines.

"You can't put something else on people who can't pay their mortgage or insurance," says Day.

"I'm really excited about it right now because the economy is so slow," says Leslie Plummer.

The Plummer would have been one of the 6000 people who would have paid $10,700 for the Utility Expansion Project then another $5,000 to hook up. It's the lowest cost in the projects history and some wonder if the cost will ever be that low again.

"If holding off does mean prices escalate, maybe that means we look at other companies to do the job," says Day.