Community Profile
The City’s mission is to be financially responsible and to be a leader in municipal services with a dedicated City workforce and an involved community.
City of Fort Myers
The City of Fort Myers (the “City”), established in 1886, is located on the southern west coast of Florida, is the County seat of Lee County. It is the cultural and trade center for Lee County and the surrounding area. The City was built on the site of Fort Harvie and was named for Colonel Abraham Charles Myers, then Chief Quartermaster of Florida.
It is situated between Tampa and Miami along scenic U.S. Highway 41.
A causeway links the Fort Myers area to Sanibel and Captiva Islands, which are beach resorts near Fort Myers. The City is readily accessible by air through Page Field in Fort Myers, which serves both business and recreational flyers, and through Southwest Florida International Airport, with 28 state-of-the-art gates that in the future can be expanded to 65. Water access to the City is via the Caloosahatchee River, just 15 miles from the Gulf and bordering the City to the north and west.
All of these means of access to Fort Myers and the surrounding area play a vital role in fostering the area’s prominent industry of tourism.
The City provides typical municipal services, including a water and sewer system and sanitation services. It also provides yacht basin facilities, golf courses and recreational centers.
City Council-City Manager Form of Government
The policy-making body of the City is a City Council composed of seven members. The Council consists of a Mayor elected at large, with one vote and no veto authority, and six Council Members elected by their respective Wards and represent that ward for a four-year term. The Mayor and three Council Members are elected at one election, and two years later the remaining three Council Members are elected. The City Council is responsible for all policy-making functions of the government. The City Manager is responsible for the administration of the City.
Downtown Fort Myers is the site of a Federal Courthouse for the Middle District of Florida that consolidates Federal offices within a five-county area. The Lee County Justice Center, which was dedicated on May 1, 2009, provides 17 new courtrooms, 22 judges’ chambers and a public plaza.
Lee County: founded in 1887
Lee County encompasses approximately 811 square miles and is bordered by Charlotte County to the north, Hendry County to the east and Collier County to the south. The County is located on the west coast of Florida and includes several small islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
Click here for a map of Lee County.
There are six incorporated municipalities within the county. Five are located on the mainland: the city of Fort Myers, the city of Cape Coral, the city of Bonita Springs, the town of Fort Myers Beach and the Village of Estero. The sixth municipality, the city of Sanibel, is situated on the island of the same name. There are also 22 planning communities in unincorporated Lee County which includes communities such as Lehigh Acres, Estero, North Fort Myers, Tice, Alva, Pine Island, Matlacha and Captiva Island.
Lee County Schools
The Lee County School District is ranked in the top 9 in student population in the state and the 33rd largest in the United States, serving over 95,647 students including Charter schools, in the County's 45 elementary schools, 4 K-8th grade schools, 16 middle schools, 14 high schools, 23 Charter Schools and 17 specialized learning facilities. There is a total of 119 schools. The District is a model for others in the state and nation – from its Microsoft Certified High School (Dunbar High) to its National Blue-Ribbon School of Excellence (The Sanibel School) to one of the top IB High Schools in the world (Fort Myers High). The School District is one of the County’s largest employers with over 12,000+ employees.
Higher Education that services Southwest Florida’s population are shown on the right.
Distance from Lee County to Other Major Florida Markets
Lee County's climate can be classified as sub-tropical. The annual rainfall equates to 52.9 inches.
Highways
Interstate 75 is presently the principal north-south highway stretching from the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to northern Dade County, Florida. U.S. Highway 41, also a north-south highway, is a limited access four-lane road for most of the distance between Bradenton to the north and Naples to the south, connecting the Fort Myers – Cape Coral Metropolitan Statistical Area (“MSA”) with Tampa to the north, Miami via the route of the Tamiami Trail and Ft. Lauderdale via Alligator Alley toll highway. State Road 80 connects with U.S. Highway 27 in the central part of the State, providing additional access to the Orlando/central Florida area and the East Coast from Palm Beach north.
Medical Facilities
For the third straight report card, all four of Lee Health’s adult acute care hospitals have earned the highest national marks for safe care. The Leapfrog Group announced its Spring 2020 Hospital Safety Grades, awarding Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, Health Park Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital each “A” grades. Four Lee Health adult acute care hospitals have been named among “America’s Best Hospitals™” in 2019.
With more than 14,000 employees and 4,500 volunteers, the system includes four acute care hospitals and two specialty hospitals, as well as outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers and primary care physician offices. Southwest Florida is also home to a wide variety of healthcare institutions with specialties ranging from cardiology to orthopedics.
A healthy lifestyle is important to Lee County. The County boasts health and wellness programs and a variety of events throughout the year to help businesses achieve a healthy workplace and residents live healthier lives.
Utilities
Telecommunications plays a critical role in today’s business success, and regardless of what your communication needs, Lee County can connect you to the world with a complete range of voice, data and video communications solutions. CenturyLink Corporation and Comcast are two of the local exchange carriers for Lee County. The City of Fort Myers and some sections of Lee County receive its power from the Florida Power & Light Company, the third largest investor-owned utility in the country. The balance of the County receives its power from the Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC), a customer-owned cooperative utility.
Tourism
A combination of favorable climate and available recreational activities, including public beaches, tennis courts, golf courses and theaters, draws millions of visitors per year, making tourism a major industry in Lee County. Southwest Florida International Airport consistently ranks among the 50 busiest airports in the nation. Opened in September of 2005, in response to more than two decades of record-breaking growth, a $438 million airport expansion project added a 28-gate midfield terminal, twice the size of the old one, with state-of-the art storage, just-in-time freight transfer, faster turnaround and greater security, more parking and new roads, ramps and taxiways. This award-winning facility was designed with today’s traveler in mind and tomorrow’s opportunities in view. Airport traffic at the Southwest Florida International Airport increased 6% comparing 2017 and 2018, with 8,842,549 visitors in 2017 and 9,373,178 in 2018.
Commercial Fishing
Commercial fishing in Lee County is a year-round operation with shrimp fleets making their homeports in Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach. Varieties of seafood marketed here are pompano, grouper, snapper, Spanish mackerel, mullet, stone crabs and shrimp.
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, 43 different species of fish and shellfish are landed in substantial quantities in Lee County, which is considered one of the best fishing areas in the Southeast United States.
Recreational Facilities
Lee County offers a variety of cultural, historical and recreational activities for residents and visitors alike. Tour the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, go bird watching at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, catch the symphony at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall or watch the Florida Everblades pro hockey team play at Hertz Arena. Additionally, Lee County has 50 miles of white sand beaches, 97 local, state and national parks and both public and private golf courses.
Prefer baseball? In March, spring training fever grips the area as the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins come to town. In 2012, a state-of-the-art training ballpark and player development complex became the new home to the Boston Red Sox. A number of the characteristics of the ballpark were taken from Fenway Park, including a “Green Monster” and a manual scoreboard. The complex includes a main ballpark with a total capacity of approximately 11,000 fans, six practice fields and other adjoining facilities that house both the major and minor league operations and a rehabilitation center. Through the summer months the Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins Class-A minor league team, thrill fans.