Lee County, Florida

Lee County is a place in southwestern Florida, right along the Gulf Coast. It is a busy area with many people living there. As of the 2020 census, over 760,000 people called Lee County home, and by 2022, that number had grown to more than 822,000, making it the eighth-biggest county in all of Florida.

The most important town in the county is Fort Myers, where important government work happens. But the biggest city is Cape Coral, with almost 200,000 people living there. These two cities, along with nearby Naples and other small areas, form a big group of places people live and visit.

Lee County started in 1887 when it was created from another county called Monroe County. Fort Myers, the main city, is a popular spot for tourists. It is about 120 miles south of Tampa where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caloosahatchee River. Every year, many baseball fans visit because the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins teams from Major League Baseball practice and play their early season games here.

History

Protohistory and European contact (500–1799)

The area that is now Lee County has many old sites showing people lived there long ago, between 500 and 1750 AD. When Europeans arrived, the area was home to the Calusa people. After that, fishermen from Cuba and other Spanish places set up small fishing camps along the coast. By the late 1700s, the Calusa were replaced by the Seminole people. In 1799, there was even a Seminole town near the Caloosahatchee River.

Fort established (1850s–1860s)

After Florida became part of the United States in 1821, many American settlers moved in, causing trouble with the local tribes. Several small forts and trading places were built near the Caloosahatchee River during a time of conflict called the Second Seminole War. Fort Myers was built in 1850 to protect against the Seminole. It was named after a commander named Abraham C. Myers. In 1858, a leader named Holata Micco, also known as Chief Billy Bowlegs, and his warriors agreed to leave and move west, and the fort was left empty. The fort was used again during a big war called the Civil War in 1863. In 1865, there was a small battle at Fort Myers, but the fort held strong. After the war, the fort was abandoned and its wood was used to build parts of downtown Fort Myers.

Settlement and early growth (1860s–1920s)

During the Civil War, Fort Myers was used by soldiers to stop supplies from getting to Confederate forces. The first settlers arrived in 1866. In the 1870s, a wealthy merchant named Tervio Padilla came from the Canary Islands and started trading with local people. He later turned to fishing after his ships were destroyed during a war. Padilla was one of the first families to settle in Lee County.

In 1882, many new people moved to Fort Myers. By 1885, Fort Myers had grown to 349 people, making it an important city on Florida’s west coast. Lee County was created in 1887 from another county, and Fort Myers became its main city. It was named after Robert E. Lee, a leader in the Civil War. Fort Myers became a popular winter spot when a grand hotel opened in 1898. Famous people like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford often spent their winters there. Fort Myers became an official city in 1911. In 1923, two new counties were created from parts of Lee County. A bridge built in 1924 helped the city grow, and an airport was established in 1927.

Modern growth (1940s–present)

During World War II, an airport called Page Field was used for training soldiers. After the war, it became a place for commercial flights. Another airfield was built in 1942 but closed after the war.

Lee County has been a place where baseball teams practice in the spring for many years. The county grew economically when a new airport opened in 1983, now called Southwest Florida International Airport. The airport is expanding with a big new terminal, starting in the mid-2020s.

Between 2020 and 2024, Lee County’s population grew by about 13.2% to over 860,000 people, mostly due to people moving from other places.

Infrastructure and redevelopment

After recent storms, Lee County worked on making its infrastructure stronger. In 2023, they started building a new bridge to replace an old one, set to finish in summer 2026. The Sanibel Causeway, damaged by a big storm, was repaired and reopened in May 2025.

Hurricanes

In August 2004, a big storm named Hurricane Charley hit the area hard. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma caused flooding in some parts of the county.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian hit the area very hard, causing major damage and many difficulties. The area began rebuilding with new, stronger buildings. In late 2024, two more storms tested the recovery efforts, but the improved infrastructure helped protect the area better.

Geography

Lee County is located on the southwest coast of Florida. It covers a large area of 1,212 square miles, with about 35% of it being water. The county includes several rivers and streams, such as the Caloosahatchee River, Imperial River, and Estero River. It is near other counties like Charlotte County, Glades County, Collier County, and Hendry County.

Lee County has many natural protected areas, including the Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge, and Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge. The area also features beautiful islands such as Captiva Island, Estero Island, and Sanibel Island.

The climate in Lee County is warm nearly all year, with hot, humid summers and short, mild winters. Rain is most common from June to September, and the area experiences many thunderstorms. Temperatures usually stay between 64°F and 83°F, though they can get a bit colder or warmer at times.

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 census, Lee County had 760,822 people living there. There were 318,303 households and 187,877 families.

The average age was 49.7 years. About 4.6% of people were younger than 5 years old, 17.4% were younger than 18, and 29.1% were 65 or older. Women made up 51.0% of the population. For every 100 women, there were 95.4 men, and for every 100 women aged 18 and over, there were 93.2 men aged 18 and over.

The racial makeup was 69.7% White, 7.7% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, and 1.7% Asian.

Languages

In 2010, most people, or 78.99%, spoke English at home. About 15.19% spoke Spanish. Smaller groups spoke French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole), German, Portuguese, and French. Overall, 21.01% of people spoke a language other than English at home.

Economy

Lee County has strong economic sectors such as construction, retail, leisure, and hospitality. In 2016, Hertz moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Estero, becoming the first major corporation to relocate to Lee County. The largest employers in Lee County as of 2019 are listed below.

Law enforcement and crime

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement group for Lee County, Florida, and is based in Fort Myers, Florida. They answer calls for help in areas of Lee County that are not part of a city and use helpers to send messages to their officers and the police at Florida Southwestern State College.

Other police groups, like the Cape Coral Police Department and the Fort Myers Police Department, have their own teams for sending messages. The Lee County Sheriff's Office also takes care of jails, court work, and legal meetings. They have many special teams for different jobs, such as flying in airplanes, finding lost items with dogs, and more.

Education

Main article: School District of Lee County (Florida)

Lee County has many places for students to learn, including colleges such as Florida Gulf Coast University, Barry University, Nova Southeastern University, and Florida SouthWestern State College. Florida Gulf Coast University, often called FGCU, is a public university near the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers. It is part of the State University System of Florida and offers many different degrees for students to choose from.

Parks and recreation

The parks in Lee County are taken care of by the county's Parks & Recreation Department. This department also looks after special training places for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins.

Beaches

Lee County in Southwest Florida is famous for its beautiful beaches, which attract many visitors. The county has ten beach parks and seven more places where people can access the beach, all cared for by Lee County Parks & Recreation.

Some well-known beaches in the area are Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva Island, Bonita Beach, Bunchee Beach, and Lovers Key. These sandy spots are popular spots for families and tourists to enjoy the sun and sea.

Libraries

Main article: Lee County Library System (Florida)

The Lee County Library System has 13 branches. It offers more than 294,000 people in the county access to over 1.5 million books and other materials. You can also use the online catalog, get free Wi-Fi, use public computers, and scan or print things at the libraries. The towns of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island have their own separate libraries.

Politics

Lee County tends to vote for Republican candidates in presidential elections. It was one of the first places in Florida to stop voting for Democratic candidates consistently. The last Democratic president to win Lee County was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. Since then, only a few Democratic candidates have gotten close to 40 percent of the vote.

Lee County is part of the United States House of Representatives. It is represented by Byron Donalds for the 19th district and Greg Steube for the 17th district. Most of the county is in the 19th district, with a small part in the east in the 17th.

Voter demographics

As of May 31, 2024.

Transportation

Airports

Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers serves many passengers each year. It offers flights to places like Cancun, Mexico, and cities in Germany, the Bahamas, and Canada. Many airlines fly to different cities within the United States from there too. The airport opened a new terminal in 2005.

Page Field, also in South Fort Myers, is used mainly for small private planes. Before Southwest Florida International Airport opened in 1983, Page Field was the main airport for the area.

Seaports and marine transport

There is a small port in Boca Grande that helps move oil. However, this port has been used less over time as shipping moves to other places, like the Port of Tampa.

There are also ferry services. One ferry goes between Fort Myers Beach and Key West for passengers only. Another ferry goes from Fort Myers to Key West.

Major highways

Major road bridges

Some important bridges in Lee County include:

• The Caloosahatchee Bridge connects North Fort Myers with Fort Myers.
• The Cape Coral Bridge links Cape Coral with Cypress Lake.
• The Edison Bridge connects North Fort Myers with Fort Myers.
• Interstate 75 has sections over the Caloosahatchee River.
• The Matanzas Pass Bridge connects the mainland to Fort Myers Beach.
• The Midpoint Memorial Bridge links Cape Coral with Fort Myers.
• The Pine Island Causeway connects Cape Coral to Matlacha and Pine Island.
• The Sanibel Causeway connects Punta Rassa with Sanibel Island.
• The Wilson Pigott Bridge is between State Road 78 and State Road 80 over the Caloosahatchee River.

Mass transportation

Bus service in Lee County is provided by LeeTran, run by the Lee County Transit Department. Buses start from the Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center in Fort Myers and go to many places, including Fort Myers Beach and the airport. The center is also a stop for Greyhound Lines buses.

Media

Newspapers

Lee County has newspapers like The News-Press and Florida Weekly.

Radio

The area around Ft Myers-Naples-Marco Island has many people who listen to the radio. There are 32 different radio stations you can tune into.

Television

Ft. Myers-Naples is a place where many people watch TV. There are lots of TV channels available, including:

• WBBH – NBC affiliate
• WFTX – Fox affiliate
• WGCU – PBS member station
• WINK – CBS affiliate
• WINK-DT2 – MyNetworkTV/Antenna TV affiliate
• WRXY – Christian Television Network affiliate
• WTPH – Azteca America affiliate
• WUVF – Univision affiliate
• WWDT – Telemundo affiliate
• WXCW – CW television network affiliate
• WZVN – ABC affiliate

Sports

Fort Myers is the home of Florida Gulf Coast University. Its sports teams, called the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, compete in NCAA Division I in the ASUN Conference. In 2013, the men's basketball team had an average of 2,291 fans per game.

Major League Baseball teams use Lee County for their spring training. The Boston Red Sox train at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Nearby, the Minnesota Twins train at Hammond Stadium. JetBlue Park opened in 2012 after an agreement was made in 2008. Before that, the Red Sox trained at City of Palms Park, which opened in 1992.

Communities

Lee County has many places where people live. Some of the bigger cities include Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Sanibel. There is also a town called Fort Myers Beach and a village named Estero.

Other places include Lehigh Acres and many smaller areas such as Alva, Bokeelia, and Buckingham. Some of these places are part of bigger cities now, like East Dunbar, which is now part of Fort Myers. There are also places like Babcock Ranch (part) and Boca Grande (part) that are not officially cities or towns.