How Fort Myers fits into Lee County and Florida: the city, the county, Lee County School District, the neighboring towns within 15 miles, and which one to call for what.

Fort Myers sits in Lee County, Florida. Three layers of local government share the work here, and knowing which does what saves time: the city, the county and the school district are separate bodies with separate budgets, separate boards and separate elections.

The city

The city of Fort Myers runs the police department, most local streets, parks, water and sewer where it operates them, zoning and building permits, code enforcement and trash and recycling contracts. The city council sets the property tax rate for the city’s share and adopts the budget each year. Council agendas are published before every meeting; we report from them on the news pages.

The county

Lee County runs the courts, the jail, the sheriff’s office (which polices the unincorporated areas and serves warrants countywide), property records and the recorder or clerk’s office, elections, public health, and the county roads outside city limits. The county appraiser or assessor values property for tax; the county treasurer or tax collector collects it for every taxing body. Real estate transfers in our weekly column come from the county record.

The school district

Public schools in Fort Myers are run by Lee County School District, an independent body with its own elected board, its own budget and, in most states, its own line on your property tax bill. District boundaries do not follow city limits: some Fort Myers addresses are zoned to neighboring districts, and the district may include parts of other towns. School board agendas and state report cards are the primary sources for our education coverage.

The neighbors

These are the places over 5,000 people within about 15 miles of Fort Myers, nearest first. We name them when a story touches them, with the distance:

  • Villas (about 5 miles)
  • North Fort Myers (about 7 miles)
  • Cypress Lake (about 7 miles)
  • San Carlos Park (about 10 miles)
  • Cape Coral (about 10 miles)
  • Iona (about 11 miles)
  • Lehigh Acres (about 12 miles)
  • Estero (about 14 miles)

Fort Myers by the numbers

From the 2023 American Community Survey five-year estimates (U.S. Census Bureau):

Measure Fort Myers
Population 91,730
Median household income $62,160
Median home value (owner-occupied) $351,600
Median age 40.3
Adults 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher 32.1%

Estimates carry margins of error; treat them as a picture, not a count.

Who to call

  • Police non-emergency: the Fort Myers Police Department (emergencies: 911).
  • Outside city limits: the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
  • Property records and deeds: the Lee County recorder / clerk.
  • Weather warnings: the National Weather Service office for this area is TBW; we publish its alerts for Fort Myers as they are issued.