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.

…

Hand & Harvest is not your average farmer’s market. It is a curated collection of handmade creations by 35+ local artisans with a focus on baked goods, empanadas, functional art, candles, ceramics, apparel, pet accessories, jewelry, body care, plants, home décor and more.

The Bubbles Bar

Offering Prosecco & mimosas while you shop for local, artisanal products, The Bubbles Bar benefits Empty Bowls, a non-profit that raises funds to fight hunger in our local community.

cross-posted from: https://hilariouschaos.com/post/139048

A Florida man living underwater won’t resurface even after breaking the record

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization this weekend at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers.

Joseph Dituri’s 74th day residing in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, situated at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, wasn’t much different than his previous days there since he submerged March 1.

Dituri, who also goes by the moniker “Dr. Deep Sea,” ate a protein-heavy meal of eggs and salmon prepared using a microwave, exercised with resistance bands, did his daily pushups and took an hour-long nap. Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adjust for the increased underwater pressure.

The previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes was set by two Tennessee professors — Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain — at the same location in 2014.

But Dituri isn’t just settling for the record and resurfacing: He plans to stay at the lodge until June 9, when he reaches 100 days and completes an underwater mission dubbed Project Neptune 100.

The mission combines medical and ocean research along with educational outreach and was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, owner of the habitat.

“The record is a small bump and I really appreciate it,” said Dituri, a University of South Florida educator who holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering and is a retired U.S. Naval officer. “I’m honored to have it, but we still have more science to do.”

His research includes daily experiments in physiology to monitor how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure.

“The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well,” Dituri said.

The outreach portion of Dituri’s mission includes conducting online classes and broadcast interviews from his digital studio beneath the sea. During the past 74 days, he has reached over 2,500 students through online classes in marine science and more with his regular biomedical engineering courses at the University of South Florida.

While he says he loves living under the ocean, there is one thing he really misses.

“The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun,” Dituri said. “The sun has been a major factor in my life – I usually go to the gym at five and then I come back out and watch the sunrise.”

A reminder to those that live in or visit SWFL, respect the wildlife. In addition to bears, you might find bobcats, panthers, coyotes, alligators, and some other creatures I wouldn’t recommend petting.

Looking for things to do in SWFL in the coming days?