SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Map of Southwest Florida

'Southwest Florida' is a region of Florida located along its gulf coast, south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee and mostly north of the Everglades. It consists of five coastal counties from Manatee County south to Collier County, although it sometimes is considered to include three rural counties inland, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County.
As of 2000, the population of Southwest Florida was 1,500,846. A 2004 US Census Bureau [1] estimate places the region's population at 1,704,155, a four year growth rate of 13.5%.
The most populous county in the region is Lee County, and the region's largest city is Cape Coral.

Development

Government

Regional Transportation

Southwest Florida News

Collier County News

The News-Press

Florida Weekly

Local Television Stations

Southwest Florida Information

Counties

Major incorporated cities

Major unincorporated communities

Development

Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach

Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s, and as such, lacks much of the heavier development present in other parts of Florida, such as that found in the central or southern regions of the state. In recent years however, there has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers (high-rise residential condominiums); southern Lee County (commercial development and high-technology); eastern Collier County (residential development); and eastern parts of Bradenton
Overall, the region notably suffers from urban sprawl; however, numerous efforts in recent years have been made to remedy this situation, especially as the urbanized area of the coastal counties pushes eastward in to agricultural land and the sensitive Everglades.
Inland counties (De Soto, Hendry and Glades Counties) are notably rural, with the primary economic driver being agriculture. Important products grown in this area include tomatoes, beef, sugarcane, and citrus products including oranges. Agricultural harvesting in Southwest Florida employs approximately 16,000 seasonal workers, 90 percent of which are thought to be migrants. [2]

Government

Each county in the region has its own county government. Within each county, there are also self-governing cities, towns and villages. The remaining majority of land in each county is controlled directly by the county government. It is also very common for incorporated municipalites to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy.

Regional Transportation

Highways

Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) and the Interstate 75 freeway, both of which connect the area to Tampa to the north, and Fort Lauderdale/Miami to the east. Long-term cooperative infrastructure planning is coordinated by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (web site), and in heavily populated Lee County, the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.

Airports

Southwest Florida International Airport, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.6 million passengers in 2006 and offers non-stop flights to 3 cities in Europe and 2 in Canada, in addition to 36 domestic airports. The area's secondary airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, served 1.42 million passengers in 2006 ^[1].

Seaport

The Port of Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.

Railway

Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.

Tourism

Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. In addition, many seasonal residents live in the area during the winter months, as temperatures in south Florida stay very moderate during that time of year.
Major attractions/destinations:

★ Beaches in the following locales:
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★ Bonita Beach
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★ Cape Romano
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★ Fort Myers Beach
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★ Longboat Key, offshore from Bradenton and Sarasota
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★ Marco Island, offshore from Naples
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★ Naples
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★ Sanibel and Captiva Islands, offshore from South Fort Myers (renowned for the quality of shells that wash ashore)
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★ Sarasota
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★ Siesta Key
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★ Ten Thousand Islands
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★ Venice (renowned for sharks' teeth that wash ashore)

★ Attractions including:
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★ Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation (where the Seminole nation operates a sizable casino)
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★ Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
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★ Lake Okeechobee renowned for fishing and ecotourism.
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★ Naples Botanical Garden
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★ Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
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★ Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota
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★ St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota

Spring training

Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League." As of 2004, Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:

★ Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers

★ Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota

★ Minnesota Twins in South Fort Myers

★ Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton

Area codes

★ Area code 239 Collier & Lee Counties (Portions of Hendry, Charlotte and Monroe Counties)

★ Area code 941 Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota Counties

★ Area code 863 Hendry and Glades Counties