Lehigh Acres, FLA- When Tim Arrison's in-laws bought a formerly foreclosed home in Lehigh Acres the air conditioner was already missing.
"That was stolen before they purchased property. So we worked for three months without any A/C and any of the big appliances. We waited until the week before to move anything in just so there was nothing here for people to take, "said Arrison.
But only a few days after bringing over a lawn mower and washer and dryer, someone broke in and stole them.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy who responded to the crime told Arrision he was the ninth break in of the day.
The family put in an alarm, new deadbolts and locked everything inside the garage.
But in just three weeks time, someone broke in again.
"The alarm went off. They didn't know what was going so they started bashing everything off the wall they could find, including the door bell," said Arrison, who is by no means alone as a burglary victim.
Wink News requested sheriff's office data on Lehigh Acres burglaries for May through November.
In 186 days there were 947 burglaries, which averages out to five a day.
Sgt. Larry King from the Lee County Sheriff's Office says there's been a changing dynamic in Lehigh Acres.
King said kids are still taking the small stuff their friends might want or use, but there's a shift in the bigger burglaries
In the past, thieves hit homes under construction for building supplies.
Now the homes are built, but spread out and empty which makes them invited targets.
King said investigators analyze the data daily looking for trends and hotspots.
"We'll even go to the extent of setting up special teams undercover or pro-active patrol mode to hit those particular areas," said King.
The crime isn't victimless just because the house is empty.
"We're doing the best we can to get the best buyer for that property," said Jennifer Pentico, a realtor who has had a handful of homes she's selling broken into.
Pentico said she felt victimized as if it were her own home, because each burglary is a big set back.
"If the appliances are gone that properties not worth as much. We've got to start all over. We've got to reprice and reposition on the market," said Pentico, who sees it getting better once the neighborhoods are full again.
The sheriff's office says for the year, burglaries are down.
In the entire rest of Lee County, there were 986 residential burglaries during the same 6 month time frame.
In Cape Coral there were 677, and in Fort Myers there were 261.