Southwest 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.
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.
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, and the region's largest city is Cape Coral with a population of 165,831 as of 2013.

Development

With no large cities in its early history, Southwest Florida was largely ignored by commercial developers until the late 1800s. As a result, the region lacks the heavier development present in other parts of Florida. In recent years however, there has been a major real estate boom focusing on downtown Fort Myers ; southern Lee County ; eastern Collier County ; and eastern parts of Bradenton. Numerous efforts in recent years have been made to reduce development and preserve open space and recreational areas.
Inland 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.

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 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. The district has been represented by Tommy Stolly since 2013.

Regional Transportation

Highways

Southwest Florida is served by several major highways, including the Tamiami Trail 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, 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

, located in South Fort Myers, served over 7.42 million passengers in 2009 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 1.34 million passengers in 2009.
The following table shows the airports that serve the Southwest Florida area with commercial flights:
Airport nameFAAIATAFAA
classification		EnplanementsLargest airline
Tampa International AirportTPALarge hub8,268,207Southwest
Southwest Florida International Airport RSWMedium hub3,789,386Delta
Sarasota–Bradenton International AirportSRQSmall hub1,340,000Delta
St. Petersburg–Clearwater International AirportPIESmall hub1,220,000Allegiant
Punta Gorda Airport PGDSmall hub836,000Allegiant

Seaport

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

Railway

provides freight services throughout Southwest Florida. 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. 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.
Major attractions/destinations:
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 Atlantic Sun 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.

Sports

The following table shows the professional teams and major NCAA Division 1 teams that play in Southwest Florida.
ClubLocationSportLeagueTier/DivisionVenue
Florida EverbladesEsteroIce hockeyECHLMid-level minor leagueHertz Arena
Fort Myers MiracleS. Fort MyersBaseballFlorida State LeagueMinor league — Class AHammond Stadium
Bradenton MaraudersBradentonBaseballFlorida State LeagueMinor league — Class ALECOM Park
Charlotte Stone CrabsPort CharlotteBaseballFlorida State LeagueMinor league — Class ACharlotte Sports Park
Gulf Coast League Red SoxFort MyersBaseballGulf Coast LeagueRookie LeagueJetBlue Park
Florida Gulf Coast EaglesFort MyersBasketballAtlantic Sun ConferenceNCAA Division IAlico Arena

Spring training

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:

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Counties

Major incorporated cities

Communities listed have a population greater than 30,000 according to the 2000 census.