The Southwest Florida CFASPP Region comprises Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Manatee, and Sarasota counties encompassing 7,100 square miles with a total population of approximately 2,411,244 people. The four main metropolitan statistical areas in the region include North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Naples-Marco Island, and Punta Gorda. Lee County has the highest population in the region with 834,573 residents, and Cape Coral is the most populous city with approximately 232,311 residents (2024).

Southwest Florida is driven by tourism, with sugar-white beaches, golf, and warm winter temperatures drawing tourists from across the U.S. and the world. In fact, the region has a rich history as a winter escape for wealthy northerners. The Vanderbilts, Ringlings, and others built mansions in Sarasota overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in the 1920s to usher in the modern era of land development. Similarly, Edison and Ford built an estate in Fort Myers that now serves as a museum and research laboratory. Today, destinations such as Fort Myers and Naples; Sanibel, Captiva, and Marco Islands; and beaches including Bonita Springs and Siesta Key continue to offer visitors the chance to learn why Florida earned a reputation as the Sunshine State. Despite shifting economic and demographic contexts in some areas, Glades and Hendry counties remain primarily agricultural. Thousands of seasonal farm workers are drawn to these areas each year to harvest tomatoes, sugarcane, limes, lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruit.

The Southwest Region provides an intermodal system consisting of multiple airports, a deepwater seaport, multiple rail lines, and an interconnected highway system connecting passengers and cargo with destinations throughout Florida and the world.

The Southwest Region’s 12 publicly owned, public-use airports, comprised of 3 commercial service and 9 general aviation airports, are equally distributed across the area to improve access and mobility, while providing the significant economic impacts associated with aviation activity. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers is the region’s busiest airport and is among the top 50 U.S. airports in terms of passenger traffic. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is the region’s busiest airport in terms of operations. Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) is served by lowcost carriers including Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines. Naples Municipal Airport (APF) is the busiest general aviation airport in the Southwest Region. Naples is also becoming an increasingly popular community for young families and offers numerous amenities for children such as a zoo, children’s museum, and water park.

The Southwest CFASPP Region is located within FDOT District One. The Southwest CFASPP Steering Committee is supported by the Heartland Regional, Charlotte-Punta Gorda, Sarasota-Manatee, Naples-Collier, and Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and FDOT.

The publicly owned, public-use airports in the Southwest Florida CFASPP Region:

 Available for review and download are meeting minutes and Committee by-laws. Attendance at CFASPP meetings by the public and interested individuals and organizations is