January 2025 Newsletter

Happy New Year! Here is your January Newsletter! Check out the upcoming events, and check out what is happening around East Lee County.

Did You Know?

Hope Florida

Hope Florida uses Hope Navigators to guide Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity and economic self-sufficiency.

If you would like help, you can call the Hope Hotline at 850-300-HOPE or click the button to visit the website. If you’d like to become a Hope Navigator, click here for more information.

Courtesy of the Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC)

Don’t Fall Prey To Sly Scammers

When it comes to solar, LCEC advises customers to investigate before purchasing. The best way to protect yourself is to be aware and vigilant in safeguarding personal information.

Some scammers are charming, while others are threatening. They may even wear shirts with an LCEC logo on it. No matter what the tactic, they are all relentless in their attempts to con honest people out of money/and or personal information.

All LCEC employees and contractors carry a photo identification badge and can provide work documents with corporate contact information.

Always ask to see proof when approached, and do not hesitate to call LCEC to verify. If you have any doubt, call 239-656-2300.

If you’d like to learn more about protecting yourself against scammers and the red flags, feel free to click here.

Courtesy of the Lee County Economic Development of Southwest Florida

If you’d like to see the Lee County Economic Development newsletter, click here.

2025 Annual Meeting

The Horizon Council, Horizon Foundation and Lee County Economic Development Office will host a 2025 Annual Meeting.

Date: Thursday, February 6th
Time: 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre (1380 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers)

It will feature a State of the Economy presentation to recap the immense growth Lee County has seen this past year, as well as celebrate the passing of the gavel and highlight plans for embracing opportunities in 2025.

Seating will be limited, so click here to register and secure your seat today.

Robotics Fulfillment Center

Amazon has announced plans to build a robotics fulfillment center in Fort Myers that’s anticipated to launch in 2027.

The fulfillment center will create more than 1,000 new full-time jobs, with benefits and opportunities to engage with advanced robotics.

It’ll be the eighth fulfillment center in Florida to use robotics technology, and will be Amazon’s first robotics fulfillment center in Lee County.

If you’d like to read more about how this center will impact our area, click here to learn more.

Southwest Florida AG Expo

Mark your calendars and purchase your tickets for the SWFL AG Expo!

Date: February 27th – March 9th Location: Lee County Civic Center Complex (11831 Bayshore Rd. in North Fort Myers)

Tickets are on sale with the opportunity to purchase a $30 MEGAPASS (only available for purchase online until Feb. 27th).

The MEGAPASS includes:

• gate admission
• unlimited rides on any one day of the expo of your choosing

Some of the fun that will be at the Expo are:

• carnival rides
• food
• crafts
• livestock show and sale
• exhibits
• entertainment
• petting zoo

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Expo coming up, click here to visit their website.

Courtesy of the Lee County Government of Southwest Florida

If you’d like to see the Lee County Government newsletter, click here.

CDBG-DR Funding for Affordable Housing

The Lee Board of County Commissioners approved agreements to allocate $39.25 million to three multi-family affordable housing development proposals.

Collectively, these projects will provide 412 affordable housing units for Low-to-Moderate Income households and Seniors (62 years and older) in North Fort Myers and the City of Fort Myers.

If you’d like to learn more about the approved funding agreements and how they will help our area, click here to read the full release.

Preparing for Local Emergencies

Lee County has a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) that must be revised and adopted on an ongoing basis?

This plan details the policies and procedures the county will use in managing large-scale emergencies and disasters.

The latest plan was adopted by The Board on Tuesday and includes input from the Hurricane Ian After-Action Report and the ResilientLee plan.

Read the release and see the full plan by clicking here.

Water Management at Larry Kiker Preserve

The Board accepted a $22.7 million Resilient Florida Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to design and construct the Larry Kiker Preserve Water Management Project Phase 1.

The plan will restore flow ways, protect habitat, improve regional flood control, improve water quality and enhance aquifer recharge.

This preserve, named for the late Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker, represents the second largest land purchase in the history of the Conservation 20/20 program at nearly 4,000 acres.

Click here to read the full press release.