Sell Your Commercial Property In Fort Myers, FL

Who rents in Fort Myers

Fort Myers had an estimated 95,051 residents in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey, in 38,364 occupied homes. Renters held 19,539 of them, a 50.9% share. That is roughly double the rate for Lee County, where 25.7% of households rent, and for Cape Coral, at 22.8%. Median household income in the city was $63,732, below the county's $76,107.

The city's housing count also shows the region's seasonal pattern. ACS records 48,984 housing units in Fort Myers but only 38,364 occupied as a primary residence, so about 10,600 units were vacant or seasonal at survey time. Owners should expect buyers to ask how much of a building's occupancy is year-round.

Rents and affordability

Median gross rent in Fort Myers was $1,580 over 2020–2024, below Lee County's $1,712 and Cape Coral's $1,858. Affordability is still tight: 59.0% of the city's renter households spend at least 30% of income on rent and utilities, and 32.9% spend half or more. Cape Coral's rate is even higher, at 61.9%.

HUD's fair market rents for the Cape Coral-Fort Myers MSA, which set the ceiling for most voucher tenancies, run above the city's survey median:

Source: HUD FY2026 FMR schedule. FY2027 figures took effect October 1, 2026.

The apartment stock

Per ACS table B25024, 20,760 of Fort Myers' housing units, or 42.4%, are in buildings with five or more units, double the county's 21.2%. The mix is spread across sizes: 6,238 units sit in complexes of 50 or more, 5,570 in 10–19 unit buildings, 5,239 in 20–49 unit buildings and 3,713 in 5–9 unit buildings.

The city carries an outsized share of the county's apartments. Lee County has 93,355 units in 5+ unit buildings, so Fort Myers holds about 22% of them with under 12% of the county's 817,666 residents. Cape Coral, more than twice the city's size at 215,536 people, has only 11,004 such units, 10.9% of its stock. Much of the county's apartment supply sits inside the city.

The stock is young for Florida. The median year built is 2001, and table B25034 shows 27.1% of units were built in 2010 or later and 4.5% in 2020 or later, while just 24.3% predate 1980. Newer buildings face fewer immediate capital needs but compete directly with recent lease-ups, and coastal properties must document storm repairs for buyers and insurers.

New income-restricted supply may also come through the Live Local Act. Under s. 196.1978, new projects with more than 70 units set aside for income-qualified households can exempt those units from property tax, fully at or below 80% of area median income and 75% for 80–120%, with rents capped at the lower of the program chart or 90% of market.

Property taxes in Lee County

The Lee County Property Appraiser assesses each parcel at just value as of January 1. Buildings of 10 or more units fall under s. 193.1555, which caps annual assessed-value growth at 10% for non-school levies; 2–9 unit buildings get the same cap under s. 193.1554. The caps reset after a sale.

The appraiser's 2025-26 levy comparison shows the City of Fort Myers adopted 6.5000 mills, down from 6.5255 the year before but 0.8% above the rolled-back rate of 6.4475. The city's levy totaled $90.8 million, up 7.3%. Lee County's general levy stayed at 3.7623 mills, 4.0% above its rolled-back rate. Non-homestead residential property paid 40.7% of the city's levy. Cape Coral adopted 5.1471 mills and Bonita Springs 0.8470. School and special-district levies are added to these figures, so check a parcel's TRIM notice for its full rate. Appeals go to the Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of that notice under s. 194.011. Deeds carry documentary stamp tax of 70 cents per $100 under s. 201.02.

Landlord rules

Fort Myers and Lee County cannot cap rents under s. 166.043 and s. 125.0103, and s. 83.425 preempts local tenancy rules. Deposits are uncapped but must be returned within 15 days or claimed in writing within 30 under s. 83.49. Nonpayment notices give three days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, under s. 83.56, and month-to-month tenancies end on 30 days' notice under s. 83.57. Leases of six months or less owe sales tax, per the Department of Revenue, which matters for owners renting seasonally.

What this means if you own a building here

A Fort Myers seller has a concentrated renter base in a region that mostly owns, a relatively young building, and a tax base that resets at sale. Buyers will look at year-round versus seasonal occupancy, storm repair records and insurance costs as closely as rent. Use our cap rate calculator to see how a reset tax bill moves value. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings across Fort Myers and Lee County, listed or off-market; our seller page explains how we underwrite.

Before listing, gather the last two TRIM notices, a rent roll that separates annual and seasonal leases, deposit balances, insurance declarations and any storm repair invoices or permits. Those documents answer the questions buyers in Lee County ask first.