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. [1]
Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally considered to put it south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee, and mostly north of the Everglades and to include Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. For some purposes, the inland counties of DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County, south of Collier, are also included.[1]
The region includes four metropolitan areas: the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota MSA, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, the Naples-Marco Island MSA, and the Punta Gorda MSA. The most populous county in the region is Lee County (760,822 population), and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with a population of 194,016 as of 2020.[1]
Nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited southwestern Florida during the last ice age around 10,000 BC. The Paleo-Indians gave way to the Calusa, the "shell people." The Calusa thrived on the southwest Florida coast and numbered over 50,000 when the first Spaniards reached the peninsula in the 16th century.[2] The arrival of the Europeans was devastating to the Calusa, as diseases such as smallpox and measles decimated the population. Eventually the Seminole would arrive from points to the north and establish themselves on the peninsula. Southwest Florida was mostly not developed until the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) expanded south from Tampa. 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. Numerous efforts in recent years have been made to reduce development and preserve open space and recreational areas.[1]
Inland counties (DeSoto, 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.[3]
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 municipalities to contract county services in order to save costs and avoid redundancy. The region is designated as one of Florida's 4 districts for the Committee of Southern Historic Preservation (C-SHP). The district has been represented by Tommy Stolly since 2013.[4]
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 Greater Miami–Ft. Lauderdale 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.[5]
Greyhound Lines serves several locations in Southwest Florida, including Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sarasota.
Southwest Florida International Airport, located to the south of Fort Myers, is the area's primary airport for commercial traffic, serving 10.3 million passengers in 2021 and becoming one of the 50 busiest airports in the United States. Since 2022, the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Discover operates a direct route between Fort Myers and Frankfurt Airport, the sole nonstop flight to Europe in the region; the airport also facilitates travel between 28 states as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and Havana.[6] [7] [8]
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport serves as the secondary airport for the region and the primary airport for American and Canadian travelers hoping to travel to the northern part of Southwest Florida, flying as far west as Denver, as far north as Toronto Pearson and Minneapolis, and as far east as Boston. In 2021, the airport served 3.16 million passengers, a new record for the airport.[9] [10]
General aviation airports sprawl across the region, with the airport in Naples being the twelfth busiest in the nation for private jet traffic. The region also hosts general aviation facilities at namesake airports in various locations including Immokalee, Buckingham, LaBelle, Arcadia, Marco Island, Punta Gorda, and Venice, as well as at Fort Myers' Page Field, Placida's Coral Creek Airport, Everglades Airpark near Everglades City, and the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport straddling the line between Southwest Florida and the Miami metropolitan area.
SeaPort Manatee provides a full range of port services for commercial, industrial and cruise ship purposes.
Seminole Gulf Railway provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida.[11] The Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and the Florida East Coast provide Florida with an intriguing history since most of the South's classic lines are operated here.
Tourism is a major economic driver in the area. The warm winter climate draws tourists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe.[5] Small towns as well as cultural centres, sea-captains hangouts and small industrial centres, Southwest Florida has more than 25 major tourist meccas. Southwest Florida is a region with a comfortable mixture of Florida's classic and cosmopolitan, relaxed and fast-paced. A place for everyone.[12]
Major attractions/destinations:
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university located just south of the Southwest Florida International Airport in South Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida. The university belongs to the 12-campus State University System of Florida. FGCU competes in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I sports. FGCU 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 6 types of doctoral degrees.[13] [4]
The following table shows the professional teams and major NCAA Division 1 teams that play in Southwest Florida.
| Club | Location | Sport | League | Tier/Division | Venue (capacity) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Everblades | Estero | Ice hockey | ECHL | Mid-level minor league | Hertz Arena (7,100) | |
| Fort Myers Mighty Mussels | S. Fort Myers | Baseball | Florida State League | Minor league — Class A | Hammond Stadium (7,500) | |
| Bradenton Marauders | Bradenton | Baseball | Florida State League | Minor league — Class A | LECOM Park (8,500) | |
| Charlotte Stone Crabs | Port Charlotte | Baseball | Florida State League | Minor league — Class A | Charlotte Sports Park (7,000) | |
| Gulf Coast League Red Sox | Fort Myers | Baseball | Gulf Coast League | Rookie League | JetBlue Park (10,823) | |
| Florida Gulf Coast Eagles | Fort Myers | Basketball | ASUN Conference | NCAA Division I | Alico Arena (4,500) |
Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League.", Southwest Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:
| County | County Seat | 2000 Population | 2010 Population | 2020 Population | 2018 Estimated (2010 to 2018) | % change (2010 to 2018) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte County | Punta Gorda | align=center | 141,627 | 186,847 | 184,998 | +15.64% | |
| Collier County | East Naples | align=center | 251,377 | 375,752 | 378,488 | +17.72% | |
| DeSoto County | Arcadia | align=center | 32,209 | 33,976 | 37,489 | +7.54% | |
| Glades County | Moore Haven | align=center | 10,576 | 12,126 | 13,724 | +6.54% | |
| Hendry County | LaBelle | align=center | 36,210 | 39,619 | 41,556 | +6.16% | |
| Lee County | Fort Myers | align=center | 440,888 | 760,822 | 754,610 | +21.96% | |
| Manatee County | Bradenton | align=center | 296,385 | 399,710 | 394,855 | +22.31% | |
| Sarasota County | Sarasota | 325,957 | 434,006 | 426,718 | +12.46% |
Communities listed have a population greater than 30,000 according to the 2000 census.