Fort Myers Beach Island Live Cam

Directions from SW International Airport and I-75: Daniels Pkwy. (exit 21) west to Summerlin Rd., left onto Summerlin Rd. to San Carlos Blvd., left onto San Carlos Blvd., follow signs to Ft. Myers Beach. Over sky bridge, first right, one half mile ahead on left.

Lee County is in southwest Florida and is bordered by Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico and by Charlotte, Hendry, and Collier counties. The Caloosahatchee River bisects the county. The county has 238 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 63.8 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.5 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 51.42 inches.

In 1993, 63% of the population was in unincorporated areas. The incorporated place with the greatest population is Cape Coral, whose 1993 population of 81,339 is nearly an eightfold increase over its 1970 population. Ft. Myers is the second most populous incorporated place, with a 1993 population of 45,069. Since 1980 several unincorporated areas in Lee County have experienced tremendous growth. For example, the population of San Carlos Park increased from 3,590 in 1980 to 11,785 in 1990 and that of Bonita Springs increased from 5,435 to 13,600. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated Lee County as the Ft. Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1993, 92% of Lee County's population was white and 8% was nonwhite. In 1990, 4.5% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 97.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 11.9 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.0 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 8.5 per 1,000. In 1993 the leading causes of death were cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 57.2% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 5.6%. In 1990, 76.9% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 16.4% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. University of South Florida, Ft. Myers Campus; Edison Community College, Ft. Myers; Gulf Coast University, the state's 10th 4-year university is scheduled for completion in 1997.

The per capita income for 1993 was $21,073 (11th highest in the state). In 1990, 18.0% of personal income in Lee County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons in Lee County were employed in the retail trade, services, and government sectors. In the services sector the major employers were medical and health services and business services. In 1992 there were 517 farms in Lee County, totalling 106,721 acres (21% of land in the county). Major crops include sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. In 1991, 5,011,534 pounds of fish and 2,408,395 pounds of shellfish were landed in Lee County.

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.2170, and the total taxable value of property was $19,374,421,790. Taxable sales totalled $3776.30 million in 1992 and $4102.70 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $49,446 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Lee County's revenues totalled $671,398 thousand ($1,951.6 per capita) and its expenditures $482,733 thousand ($1,403.2 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 67.9% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 37.7% were registered Democrat and 53.3% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election 44.2% of the votes were cast for Bush, 32.3% for Clinton, and 23.2% for Perot.

Total Area: 1,212 square miles. Until 1923, Lee County was the largest county in Florida. Location: 15 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico with Collier County to the South and Charlotte County to the North. History/Culture: Lee County was Established in 1887 and named after General Robert E. Lee. Today, Lee County is perfect for outdoor activities. Lee County has more than 800 square miles of both shoreline and pristine waterways. The average temperature is 82 degrees in the summer and 64 degrees in the winter. Then annual rainfall is just over 53 inches.

Major Attractions: Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter homes, Mound Key, SunSplash Waterpark, Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Track, Minnesota Twins spring training, Boston Red Sox spring training, Miracle Professional Baseball (April to August), the Edison Festival Parade of Light including the largest and beautiful nigh light parade in Florida State, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Harborside Convention Center, J.N.

The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council is a locally formed regional planning agency serving six counties: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Sarasota. Its mission is to protect and improve the Region's physical, economic, and social environment. The agency is directed by a thirty-member Council composed of local elected officials and gubernatorial appointees. The Council meets each month for the purpose of identifying and addressing local issues and problems.