Fort Myers History

After nine years and three developers failed to draw up plans for the site, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency decided to take the lead on the McCollum Hall historic preservation and redevelopment project in early August. Since then, the agency has worked to engage the community, aiming to hear what people want for the building’s future and to deliver on those desires once and for all, precisely what the Sept. 30 community engagement session tried to accomplish.

Turning historic McCollum Hall in Fort Myers into a mixed-use development with co-working space and a restaurant is not only commercially viable but represents an opportunity for cultural and community revitalization.That was one of the findings from a feasibility analysis done with the help of AI by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The results will be discussed at Wednesday’s Fort Myers CRA meeting.

In this installment from the StoryCorps Mobile Tour visit to Fort Myers in Feb. 2024, lifelong friends Karen Hurst and Cathy Goodacre Smith share childhood memories of growing up on Fort Myers Beach in the 1950s and 60s.

As we commemorate Native American History Month, we turn our attention to a small city in Southwest Florida. From treaties and broken promises to surprising acts of cooperation, the story of Fort Myers offers a lens into the complex history of the Seminole Wars and their lasting impact.

Calusa Waterkeeper will explain the current water conditions, outline health risks, and share tips about the drainage creek, which measures Enterococcus levels 21 times higher than Florida allows.

In this installment from the StoryCorps Mobile Tour visit to Fort Myers in Feb. 2024, lifelong friends Karen Hurst and Cathy Goodacre Smith share childhood memories of growing up on Fort Myers Beach in the 1950s and 60s.

Nearly 64 years after construction began on what was then described as "Negro housing," the low-income dwellings at Southward Village in Fort Myers' Dunbar neighborhood were demolished this week.On Wednesday morning, the workers began taking down the squat, light tropical-colored buildings. Information from the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers described the project as "a major step of progression for the Greater Dunbar Initiative."

This Saturday, November 2 there’s an event in Fort Myers launching the new Dunbar Cultural Landmarks Tour, which will allow people to download a free app…

The city of Fort Myers went through a dramatic metamorphosis in the early 20th century from a largely frontier cow town to a thriving metropolitan center…

The Robert E. Lee bust that was toppled from its pedestal in downtown Fort Myers overnight Monday is already back up and screwed into place. Police are…