Lee County, Florida

Last updated

Lee County
County
Base Operations at Page Field.jpg
Base Operations at Page Field
Flag of Lee County, Florida.svg
Flag
Logo and Seal of Lee County, Florida.svg
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Lee County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida in United States.svg
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 26°35′N81°55′W / 26.58°N 81.92°W / 26.58; -81.92
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Florida.svg  Florida
FoundedMay 13, 1887
Named for Robert E. Lee
Seat Fort Myers
Largest city Cape Coral
Area
 • Total
1,212 sq mi (3,140 km2)
 • Land785 sq mi (2,030 km2)
 • Water428 sq mi (1,110 km2)  35.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
760,822 [1]
 • Density969.2/sq mi (374.2/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 17th, 19th
Website www.leegov.com

Lee County is located in southwestern Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state. [2] The county seat is Fort Myers, with a population of 86,395 as of the 2020 census, [3] and the largest city is Cape Coral, with an estimated 2020 population of 194,016.

Contents

The county comprises the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which, along with the Naples-Marco Island (Collier County) MSA and the Clewiston (Hendry County, Glades County) Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), is included in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers-Naples Combined Statistical Area (CSA). [4]

Lee County was established in 1887 from Monroe County. [5] Fort Myers is the county seat and a center of tourism in Southwest Florida. It is about 120 miles (190 km) south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River. [6] Lee County is the home for spring training of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball teams.

History

Protohistory and European contact (500–1799)

The area that is now Lee County has several archaeological sites that show evidence of habitation by peoples belonging to the Caloosahatchee culture (500 to 1750 AD). By the time of European contact, the area was more specifically occupied by the Calusa. [7] [8] After European contact, fishermen from Cuba and other Spanish colonies set up fishing camps, known as ranchos in Spanish, on the southern portion of the Gulf Coast of Florida. These ranchos extended from Charlotte Harbor south to San Carlos Bay and the mouth of the Caloosahatchee. Likely established in the latter part of the 1600s, they were precursors to the larger European settlements that would be established in the following centuries. [9] As the 18th century came to an end, the Calusa who had once inhabited the area were replaced with the Seminole. In particular, in 1799, an Indian agent noted the existence of a Seminole town on the "Cull-oo-saw-hat-che" or Caloosahatchee River. [10]

Fort established (1850s–1860s)

After Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, a number of settlers moved into Florida, causing conflict with the local Seminole Indians. Fort Myers was built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians during the Seminole Wars. The fort was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief Billy Bowlegs and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west, [11] and the fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west. In 1863, the fort was reoccupied by federal troops during the Civil War. In 1865, in the Battle of Fort Myers, the fort was attacked by a small group of Confederates. The Union's garrison, led by Captain James Doyle, successfully held the fort and the Confederate forces retreated. After the war, the fort was again deserted. [12] The fort was later disassembled and some of its wood was used to build parts of downtown Fort Myers.

Settlement and early growth (1860s–1920s)

During the Civil War, Fort Myers was occupied by federal troops with the intention of disrupting the Confederate cattle supply from Florida. In February 1865, it was the site of the Battle of Fort Myers. [13] The first settlers in Fort Myers arrived in 1866. In the 1870s, Tervio Padilla, a wealthy merchant from the Canary Islands, came by way of Key West to Cayo Costa and established trade with natives and "ranchos" that extended northward to Charlotte Harbor. His ships often made port at Cayo Costa at the entrance to the harbor. Enchanted by the tropical island, he eventually decided to settle there. Padilla prospered until the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, when his fleet was burned and scuttled. He then turned to another means of livelihood – fishing. When the government claimed his land, he was disinclined to set up another ranch, so moved with his wife further down the island and as before, simply homesteaded. The Padilla family is one of the first pioneer families of Lee County and many still reside within the county, mainly around the Pine Island area.

In 1882, the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. In 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, [14] its population of 349 residents made it the second-largest city only to Tampa on Florida's west coast south of Cedar Key, even larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time. [15] [16] Lee County was formed in 1887 from Monroe County, with Fort Myers serving as the county seat. [5] It was named for Robert E. Lee, Confederate general in the American Civil War. [17] Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the opening of the Royal Palm Hotel in 1898, built by New York City department store magnate Hugh O'Neill. [18] Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison, as well as Henry Ford. [6] In 1911, Fort Myers was incorporated as a city. [19] In 1923, Collier and Hendry Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. Construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge, built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924, sparked the city's growth. After the bridge's construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city. [18] In 1927, a property purchased by the City of Fort Myers was turned into an airport, eventually called Page Field.

Modern growth (1940s–present)

During World War II, Page Field served as an advanced fighter training base and home to the several bomber groups. Following the war, a small terminal was built in the mid-1950s as the airport transitioned to commercial use. [20] Another airfield was constructed in 1942 called Buckingham Army Airfield. The base was closed down in 1945, after which the barracks served as classrooms for Edison College until 1948. [21] Following the end of World War II, the Royal Palm Hotel was closed permanently, and in 1947, the hotel on the corner of First and Fowler was torn down. [18]

Lee County has been the host to several Major League Baseball teams for spring training over the past several decades.

The county received a boost in 1983 when Southwest Florida Regional Airport (now known as Southwest Florida International Airport) opened. [22]

Hurricanes

On August 13, 2004, the county was struck by Hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm, particularly on the northwestern islands of Captiva, Gasparilla, and North Captiva. On September 10, 2017, Lee County was struck by Hurricane Irma as a category 2 storm. On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Lee County as a category 4 storm, causing major damage to Sanibel, Pine Island, and surrounding areas. Sanibel Causeway partially collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. [23] 71 deaths occurred in Lee County as of October 4. [24]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,212 square miles (3,140 km2), of which 428 square miles (1,110 km2) (35.3%) are covered by water. [25] Rivers and streams include the Caloosahatchee River, the Imperial River, the Estero River, Hendry Creek, and Orange River. Lee County is on the southwest coast of Florida. It is about 125 miles (201 km) south of Tampa, 115 miles (185 km) west of Fort Lauderdale via Interstate 75, and roughly 125 miles (201 km) west-northwest of Miami via U.S. Highway 41.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Islands

Climate

Lee County has a year-round warm, monsoon-influenced climate that is close to the boundary between tropical and subtropical climates (18 °C (64 °F) in the coldest month), thus is either classified as a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), which is the classification used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, [26] [a] or a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). [27] Lee County has short, warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers, with most of the year's rainfall occurring from June to September. The temperature rarely rises to 100 °F (38 °C) or lowers to the freezing mark. [28] At 89, Lee County leads the nation in the number of days annually in which a thunderstorm is close enough for thunder to be heard. [29] The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 64.2 °F (17.9 °C) in January to 83.4 °F (28.6 °C) in August, with the annual mean being 75.1 °F (23.9 °C). Records range from 24 °F (−4 °C) on December 29, 1894 up to 103 °F (39 °C) on June 16–17, 1981. [28]

Climate data for Fort Myers, Florida (Page Field), 1981–2010 normals
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)90
(32)		92
(33)		93
(34)		96
(36)		99
(37)		103
(39)		101
(38)		100
(38)		98
(37)		95
(35)		95
(35)		90
(32)		103
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)74.7
(23.7)		77.2
(25.1)		80.4
(26.9)		84.6
(29.2)		89.4
(31.9)		91.5
(33.1)		91.9
(33.3)		91.8
(33.2)		90.5
(32.5)		86.7
(30.4)		81.3
(27.4)		76.6
(24.8)		84.7
(29.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)53.7
(12.1)		55.9
(13.3)		59.4
(15.2)		63.1
(17.3)		68.7
(20.4)		73.5
(23.1)		74.5
(23.6)		74.9
(23.8)		74.3
(23.5)		69.1
(20.6)		62.0
(16.7)		56.4
(13.6)		65.5
(18.6)
Record low °F (°C)27
(−3)		27
(−3)		33
(1)		39
(4)		50
(10)		58
(14)		66
(19)		65
(18)		63
(17)		45
(7)		34
(1)		24
(−4)		24
(−4)
Average rainfall inches (mm)1.89
(48)		2.13
(54)		2.84
(72)		2.02
(51)		2.72
(69)		10.28
(261)		9.14
(232)		10.21
(259)		8.55
(217)		2.67
(68)		1.92
(49)		1.69
(43)		56.06
(1,424)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 in)5.55.26.24.26.816.017.617.915.46.84.44.5110.5
Source: NOAA (extremes 1892–present) [28]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 1,414 [30] —
1900 3,071 [30] [31] 117.2%
1910 6,294 [30] [31] 104.9%
1920 9,540 [30] [31] 51.6%
1930 14,990 [30] [31] 57.1%
1940 17,488 [30] [31] 16.7%
1950 23,404 [30] [31] 33.8%
1960 54,539 [30] [31] 133.0%
1970 105,216 [31] 92.9%
1980 205,266 [31] 95.1%
1990 335,113 [31] [32] 63.3%
2000 440,888 [32] 31.6%
2010 618,754 [33] 40.3%
2020 760,822 [34] [1] 23.0%
2023 (est.)834,573 [35] 9.7%

2020 Census

Lee County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic) [b]
RacePop 2010 [37] Pop 2020 [38] % 2010% 2020
White (NH)439,048490,47670.96%64.47%
Black or African American (NH)47,75155,9587.72%7.35%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)1,2921,2280.21%0.16%
Asian (NH)8,25212,7891.33%1.68%
Pacific Islander (NH)1972440.03%0.03%
Some other race (NH)1,5813,9740.26%0.52%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)7,32522,9921.18%3.02%
Hispanic or Latino 113,308173,16118.31%22.76%
Total618,754760,822

As of the 2020 United States census, 760,822 people, 288,916 households, and 187,877 families resided in the county. About 4.6% of that population was under 5 years old, 17.3% was under 18, and 29.2% was 65 or older; 51.0% was female; 89.3% was 25 years or older were high-school graduates and 28.5% of those 25 years or older had a bachelor's degree or higher.

The median household income was $59,608 with a per capita income of $34,818. About 10.5% of population below the poverty threshold. The median value of owner-occupied housing units between 2016 and 2020 was $235,300 and the median gross rent was $1,225. Around 94.2% of the households had a computer and 87.2% of households had a broadband internet subscription.

Languages

As of 2010, 78.99% of residents spoke English as their first language, and 15.19% spoke Spanish, 1.28% French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole,) 0.88% German, 0.59% Portuguese, and 0.55% spoke French as their main language. [39] In total, 21.01% of the population spoke languages other than English as their primary language. [39]

Economy

Lee County's stronger economic sectors include construction, retail, leisure, and hospitality. [40] Hertz moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Estero in 2016, the first major corporation to relocate to Lee County. [41] The largest employers in Lee County as of 2019 are: [42] [43]

RankEmployerEmployees
1 Lee Health 13,595
2 Lee County School District 12,936
3Lee County government9,038
4 Publix Supermarkets 4,624
5 Florida Gulf Coast University 3,430
6 Walmart 3,067
7 City of Cape Coral 2,253
8 Hope Hospice 1,630
9 McDonald's 1,482
10 Florida SouthWestern State College 1,441

Law enforcement and crime

Lee County Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationLCSO
Motto"Proud To Serve"
Agency overview
Formed1887
Employees1700
Annual budget$241,322,563 (2022)
Jurisdictional structure
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Fort Myers, Florida
Agency executive
Facilities
Aircraft5
Website
www.sheriffleefl.org

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Lee County, Florida headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida.

Lee County Sheriff's Office patrol car Lcso police car.jpg
Lee County Sheriff's Office patrol car

The Lee County Sheriff's Office responds to all calls for service within unincorporated Lee County and employs civilian dispatchers who provide dispatch for LCSO Deputies and Florida Southwestern State College Police. The Cape Coral Police Department, Fort Myers Police Department, Sanibel Police Department and Lee County Port Authority Police maintain their own police dispatch centers.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is also responsible for corrections, court operations, and civil proceedings. There are multiple specialized units within the agency including Aviation, K9, SOU, Fugitive Warrants, Marine, Electronic Surveillance, and Tactical Narcotics Teams.

Lee County Sheriff's Office Airbus H125 LCSOHelos.jpg
Lee County Sheriff's Office Airbus H125

Education

FGCU's Academic Core FGCU Academic Core.jpg
FGCU's Academic Core

Colleges in Lee County include Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Barry University, Nova Southeastern University, Florida SouthWestern State College, Cape Coral Technical College, Fort Myers Technical College, [44] Hodges University, Keiser University, Southern Technical College, and Rasmussen College.

FGCU is a public university located just south of the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers. The university belongs to the 12-campus State University System of Florida. FGCU competes in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I sports. The school is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's, 51 different types of bachelor's, 29 different master's, and six types of doctoral degrees. [45]

Parks and recreation

The parks are maintained by the county's Parks & Recreation Department. The department also maintains spring training facilities for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. [46]

Beaches

Some of the main tourist attractions in Southwest Florida are its beaches. Lee County is home to ten beach parks and an additional seven beach accesses, maintained by Lee County Parks & Recreation. [47]

Popular beaches include Fort Myers Beach, [48] Sanibel and Captiva Island, [49] Bonita Beach, Bunchee Beach, [50] and Lovers Key. [51]

Libraries

The Lee County Library System has 13 branches. [52] The towns of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island, though located in Lee County, maintain their own independent public library entities. [53]

The Lee County Library System currently provides more than 294,000 county residents with over 1.5 million items and materials available for use or patron circulation, as well as an online library materials catalog, free wi-fi, public computer access, and scanning and printing capabilities. [54]

Politics

Unlike most urban counties, Lee County is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It was one of the first areas of Florida to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. Since then, Adlai Stevenson II, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama have been the only Democrats to manage 40 percent of the vote.

Lee County is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Byron Donalds of the 19th district and by Greg Steube of the 17th district. Most of the county is in the 19th, while the far eastern portion is in the 17th.

United States presidential election results for Lee County, Florida [55]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 250,66163.60%139,24035.33%4,2041.07%
2020 233,24759.09%157,69539.95%3,8160.97%
2016 191,55158.12%124,90837.90%13,0953.97%
2012 154,16357.83%110,15741.32%2,2780.85%
2008 147,60854.67%119,70144.34%2,6680.99%
2004 144,17659.91%93,86039.00%2,6311.09%
2000 106,15157.57%73,57139.90%4,6782.54%
1996 80,89848.75%65,69939.59%19,35411.66%
1992 73,43644.24%53,66032.32%38,90623.44%
1988 87,30367.71%40,72531.59%9080.70%
1984 85,02473.89%30,02226.09%300.03%
1980 61,03364.51%28,12529.73%5,4555.77%
1976 38,03854.50%30,56743.80%1,1841.70%
1972 36,73879.46%9,40420.34%930.20%
1968 14,37646.23%7,97825.66%8,74128.11%
1964 12,88655.81%10,20444.19%00.00%
1960 10,35765.34%5,49434.66%00.00%
1956 7,56562.60%4,52037.40%00.00%
1952 5,52859.09%3,82840.91%00.00%
1948 2,27639.26%1,88332.48%1,63828.26%
1944 1,86535.74%3,35364.26%00.00%
1940 1,62231.48%3,53168.52%00.00%
1936 1,13730.85%2,54969.15%00.00%
1932 97327.56%2,55772.44%00.00%
1928 2,05863.17%1,15435.42%461.41%
1924 55234.03%84552.10%22513.87%
1920 62636.95%93855.37%1307.67%
1916 16714.75%75166.34%21418.90%
1912 385.32%43260.50%24434.17%
1908 7213.51%26649.91%19536.59%
1904 8417.04%26653.96%14329.01%
1900 3911.40%27881.29%257.31%
1896 7423.72%22271.15%165.13%
1892 00.00%15396.23%63.77%

Voter demographics

As of May 31, 2024. [56]

Voter registration and party membership
PartyNumber of votersPercentage
Republican222,82847.4%
No party affiliation127,52427.1%
Democratic107,32722.8%
Minor parties12,4322.6%
Total470,111100.0%

Transportation

Airports

  • Southwest Florida International Airport (IATA airport code - RSW), in South Fort Myers, serves over 8.37 million passengers annually. [22] Currently, the airport offers international non-stop flights to Cancun, Mexico; Frankfurt, Germany; Nassau, Bahamas; and Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in Canada. In addition, nine airlines operate flights to 29 domestic nonstop destinations. On September 9, 2005, the airport opened a new terminal.
  • Page Field (IATA airport code - FMY), also in South Fort Myers, just south of the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, is the county's general aviation airport. Prior to the opening of Southwest Florida Regional Airport in 1983 (now Southwest Florida International Airport), Page Field was the county's commercial airport.

Seaports and marine transport

A small port operation continues in Boca Grande, being used as a way-point for oil distribution. However, Port Boca Grande has been in decline for many years as the shipping industry has moved north, especially to the Port of Tampa.

In addition, a private enterprise operates a high-speed, passenger-only ferry service between Fort Myers Beach from San Carlos Island and Key West. Another ferry service is offered from Fort Myers to Key West.

Major highways

I-75.svg Interstate 75 The county's only fully controlled-access freeway, and has 10 interchanges within Lee County, linking the area to Naples, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami to the south and east; and Sarasota and Tampa to the north. The freeway is at least six lanes throughout Lee County and is up to eight lanes in some areas.
US 41.svg U.S. Route 41
Tamiami Trail
Cleveland Avenue		US 41 runs the length of Lee County, and is the county's main north–south arterial highway. It is a major commercial corridor, running as an elevated highway through the center of downtown Fort Myers, continuing south as a multilane, divided-surface highway through the communities of South Fort Myers, San Carlos Park, Estero, and Bonita Springs. From north-to-south, the highway's name starts as "North Tamiami Trail", changes to "Cleveland Avenue" from the Caloosahatchee River to State Road 884 (Colonial Boulevard) in the City of Fort Myers; then it is called "South Cleveland Avenue" from Colonial Boulevard to County Road 876 (Daniels Parkway), and then changes to South Tamiami Trail until the border with Collier County.
Florida 80.svg State Road 80
Palm Beach Boulevard		SR 80's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The multilane highway runs east-northeast along the southern banks of the Caloosahatchee River as "Palm Beach Boulevard" within the county, traversing the state of Florida to connect the area with LaBelle, Clewiston, and West Palm Beach.
Florida 82.svg State Road 82
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Immokalee Road		SR 82's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The highway is called "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard" within the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, becoming "Immokalee Road" as it passes through Lehigh Acres and connects the area to Immokalee.
Florida 884.svg State Road 884
Veterans Memorial Parkway
Colonial Boulevard
Lee Boulevard		SR 884 is Lee County's main east–west arterial highway. Its western terminus is in the incorporated limits of the City of Cape Coral and the eastern terminus is in Lehigh Acres. Within Cape Coral, the highway is named "Veterans' Memorial Parkway", and is a multilane, controlled-access highway. Within Fort Myers, it is named "Colonial Boulevard". The road crosses the Caloosahatchee River as an elevated highway across a toll bridge, interchanging with U.S. Highway 41 and Interstate 75, then becomes a multilane, divided-surface highway through Lehigh Acres. After it intersects with State Road 82, it is called "Lee Boulevard".

Major road bridges

Mass transportation

Fixed-route bus service is provided by the Lee County Transit Department, operated as "LeeTran". Several routes extend outward from the Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center; in addition, suburb-to-suburb routes are operated, as well as park-and-ride service to and from both Fort Myers Beach and Southwest Florida International Airport.

The Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center in Fort Myers also serves as an intermediate stop on Greyhound Lines bus service.

Media

Newspapers

Newspapers include The News-Press and Florida Weekly.

Radio

Arbitron standard radio market: Ft Myers-Naples-Marco Island. [57] With an Arbitron-assigned 783,100 listening area population, the metropolitan area ranks 62/299 for the fall of 2006. The metropolitan area is home to 32 radio stations.

Television

Nielsen Media Research designated market area: Ft. Myers-Naples [58]

Number of TV homes: 479,130

2006–2007 U.S. rank: 64/210

Sports

ClubSportLeagueTierVenue (capacity)
Florida Everblades Ice hockey ECHL Mid-level Hertz Arena, Estero (7,181)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Baseball Florida State League Class A Hammond Stadium, S. Fort Myers (7,500)
Boston Red Sox Baseball Major League Baseball Spring training JetBlue Park at Fenway South, Fort Myers (11,000)
Minnesota Twins BaseballMajor League BaseballSpring trainingHammond Stadium, S. Fort Myers (7,500)
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Basketball ASUN Conference Division I (NCAA) Alico Arena, Fort Myers (4,500)

Fort Myers is home to Florida Gulf Coast University. Its teams, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, play in NCAA Division I in the ASUN Conference. The Eagles' men's basketball team had an average attendance of 2,291 in 2013. [59]

MLB spring training

Red Sox logo on the fence outside the City of Palms Park Little league field in Downtown Fort Myers, supported by the Boston Red Sox.jpg
Red Sox logo on the fence outside the City of Palms Park

The Boston Red Sox hold their annual spring training at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in the Fort Myers area. A cross-town rivalry has developed with the Minnesota Twins, which conduct their spring training at Hammond Stadium in south Lee County, which has a capacity of 7,500 and opened in 1991.

The Red Sox' lease with Fort Myers ran through 2019, but the Red Sox were considering exercising the early out in their contract that would have allowed them to leave following the 2009 spring season. On October 28, 2008, the Lee County commission voted 3–1 to approve an agreement with the Boston Red Sox to build a new spring-training facility for the team in south Lee County. That stadium, named JetBlue Park at Fenway South, is located off Daniels Parkway near Southwest Florida International Airport. The stadium opened in time for the 2012 season.

City of Palms Park had been built in 1992 for the Red Sox' spring training. Former Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell is from Fort Myers, and was instrumental in bringing his team to the city for spring training. [60] The deal for JetBlue Park left City of Palms Park without a tenant. County officials have discussed the possibility of securing another team for City of Palms. Terry Park Ballfield (also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is also not currently in use by a Major League Baseball team, though it is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Kansas City Royals.

Communities

Cities

Town

Village

Municipal district

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

CDP'S and Unincorporated Communities

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The NOAA document used classifies locations as warm as Newport News, Virginia, as "continental", but areas with drastically more extreme climates, such as Wichita, Kansas, as "subtropical".
  2. ↑ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. [36]

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Captiva is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. It is located on Captiva Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 318, down from 583 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Myers, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Fort Myers is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the 25th-most populous city in Florida. Together with the larger and more residential city of Cape Coral, it anchors the Cape Coral–Fort Myers metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Lee County and has a population of 834,573 as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iona, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Iona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,908 at the 2020 census, up from 15,404 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matlacha, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Matlacha is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The CDP had a population of 598 at the 2020 census, down from 677 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanibel, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States of America

Sanibel is an island and city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,382 at the 2020 census, down from 6,469 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The island, also known as Sanibel Island, constitutes the entire city. It is a barrier island—a collection of sand on the leeward side of the more solid coral-rock of Pine Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caloosahatchee River</span> River on the southwest coast of Florida, US

The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately 67 miles (108 km) long. It drains rural areas on the northern edge of the Everglades, east of Fort Myers. An important link in the Okeechobee Waterway, a manmade inland waterway system of southern Florida, the river forms a tidal estuary along most of its course and has become the subject of efforts to restore and preserve the Everglades.

Pine Island is the largest island on the Gulf Coast of peninsular Florida in the United States. Located in Lee County, on the Gulf of Mexico coast of southwest Florida, it is also the 118th largest island in the United States. The Intracoastal Waterway passes through Pine Island Sound, to the west of the island. Matlacha Pass runs between Pine Island and the mainland. Pine Island lies west of Cape Coral. For many years, Pine Island was a major commercial fishing community and many of its full-time residents still fish commercially today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Coral Bridge</span> Bridge in Florida, United States

The Cape Coral Bridge is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River connecting McGregor and Cape Coral. It is made up of two parallel fixed spans, each 3,400 feet (1,000 m) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanibel Causeway</span> Causeway in Southwest Florida, U.S.

The Sanibel Causeway is a causeway in Southwest Florida that spans San Carlos Bay, connecting Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland in Punta Rassa. The causeway consists of three separate two-lane bridge spans, and two-man-made causeway islands between them. The entire causeway facility is owned by Lee County and operated by the Lee County Department of Transportation (DOT). The causeway is 3 miles (5 km) long with a $6 toll for island-bound vehicles only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midpoint Memorial Bridge</span> Bridge in Florida, United States of America

The Midpoint Memorial Bridge is a bridge located in Southwest Florida. It spans the Caloosahatchee River, connecting Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It is a four-lane fixed span that is 1.125 miles (1.811 km) long. The bridge's name comes from serving as a midpoint or middle bridge for the Cape Coral bridges – Cape Coral Bridge is south, and the Caloosahatchee Bridge is located north. It carries County Road 884, which is known as Colonial Boulevard on the Fort Myers side, and Veterans Parkway on the Cape Coral side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida</span> Region in Florida

Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 239</span> Area code for southwestern Florida

Area code 239 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for a part of Southwestern Florida. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes Lee and Collier counties, small parts of Hendry and Charlotte counties and the Everglades National Park in Mainland Monroe County. The area code was activated for service on March 11, 2002, in an area code split in which the southern half of NPA 941, from North Fort Myers, was renumbered with 239. A permissive dialing period ended on March 10, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 78</span> State highway in Florida, United States

State Road 78 is the Florida Department of Transportation designation of the highway that historically extended from Pine Island Center on the Gulf Coast of Florida to the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee. In the 1980s, two segments of the route were removed from state maintenance to county maintenance and both were redesignated County Road 78. All three sections of SR 78 are signed east–west, even though the easternmost section is actually a north–south route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGregor Boulevard</span> Road in Lee County, Florida

State Road 867 and County Road 867 together create a 14.6-mile (23.5 km) long road known as McGregor Boulevard in Lee County, Florida, paralleling the Caloosahatchee River between Punta Rassa and Fort Myers. The entire road was formerly state-maintained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida's 19th congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Florida

Florida's 19th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Southwest Florida. It includes the cities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Naples and Marco Island, as well as unincorporated areas in Lee and Collier counties. It has been represented by Republican Byron Donalds since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Island Causeway</span> Bridge in Florida, United States of America

The Pine Island Causeway is a roadway in Southwest Florida spanning Matlacha Pass connecting Pine Island, the largest island in Florida, to the main land in Cape Coral. The causeway carries Pine Island Road and consists of three bridges with dredged land sections in between them. The islands connected to the middle of the causeway are also home to the community of Matlacha. It provides the only vehicular access to both Matlacha and Pine Island.

San Carlos Bay is a bay located southwest of Fort Myers, Florida, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. It connects to Pine Island Sound to the west and to Matlacha Pass to the north. The bay contains Bunche Beach Preserve, a 718-acre conservation area acquired by Lee County, Florida in 2001. This part of San Carlos Bay includes tidal wetlands area that includes beach, mangrove forests and salt water "flats" popular with wildlife enthusiasts, paddlers and fishermen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation</span> Ecosystem protection group in Florida, US

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is an American ecosystem protection group. It was founded in 1967 on Sanibel Island, Florida to preserve the island's interior freshwater system. The non-profit's mission has since evolved to also protect and care for Southwest Florida's coastal ecosystems.

References

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