Southwest Florida

Anyone stuck in traffic in Lee County ― especially during season ― will likely agree with U.S. News & World Report on this: Fort Myers is among the "Fastest Growing Places" in America.

Fort Myers ranked No. 1, with three other Florida cities making the top 5: Port St. Lucie (No. 3), Daytona Beach (4) and Tallahassee (5).

What's more remarkable is how hurricanes have not deterred people from moving to Lee County. Hurricane Ian was a Category 4 storm in September 2022 devasted much of the region, causing more than $100 billion in damage.

And the facts bear this out. A News-Press storyMonday revealed how Lee County is attracting some of highest dollar investments in Florida. Lee ranks No. 8 among Florida counties based on business establishment growth, Gross Domestic Product growth and new building permits.

Just down the road from Fort Myers, Naples ranked No. 1 on the U.S. News list released Tuesday.

Sarasota came in at No. 11, followed by Pensacola (No. 31); Fort Myers (37); Melbourne (No. 49); Jacksonville (56); Orlando (68); Tallahassee (75); Ocala (78); Lakeland (80); Port St. Lucie (83); Daytona Beach (96); and Miami (123) rounded out the top 150.

"Naples, Florida, takes the top spot due to its strong desirability and job market scores, andmoderately high quality-of-life score," U.S. News said in its report.

…