North Fort Myers
From Privateers to Retirees
Like most of the Gulf Coast of Florida, the area we now know as North Fort Myers was originally the hunting and fishing grounds for native American tribes. And the first Europeans to set foot here were likely Ponce De Leon and his men, searching for the fountain of youth.
But North Fort Myers has its own more prevalent legend that takes precedence. Long before Jack Sparrow sailed the fictional seven seas, his real-life inspiration was pillaging Spanish ships in the Gulf Coast waters.
Jose Gaspar, a Spanish Naval officer found himself on the wrong side of Royal politics, as the story goes. And when he was wrongfully accused of plotting to steal the crown jewels and a warrant issued for his arrest, he went rogue, stole a ship and became the pirate Gasparilla.
After almost 40 years of ransacking and hoarding, Gaspar made the decision to retire – especially the United States had purchased Florida from Spain and was more aggressive defending ships off their coast. Gaspar’s treasure was divided into 10 chests, to be distributed to his top lieutenants.
Unfortunately, the meet was ambushed by the USS Enterprise. Gasparilla reportedly walked off his ship into the waters, cutlass still in hand. The crew guarding the treasure chests buried them in hidden locations across the Gulf Coast, never to be found again.
While we’ll never know just how much of the Gasparilla stories are true, the pirate king did rule the shores of Florida from 1783 to 1821. And his main base of operations was the land east of the Caloosahatchee River – North Fort Myers.
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Across the River, in 1876, Fort Myers, named in honor of Colonel Abraham C. Myers, was one of the very first operational bases established to help defend the state during the Seminole Indian Wars. Besides the soldier’s barracks, there were 10 families settled there.
As the area grew, some families travelled, first by boat, then by the old river bridge, built in 1924, to the eastern shores. The first settler in the area was John Powell. In 1872, Powell bought 160 acres, built a house and planted orange trees. In 1884, the area gained the name New Prospect.
Early pioneers were attracted to the pristine and heavily wooded wilderness. One of the earliest industries was logging and milling, sending lumber to Tampa and beyond via Hickey’s Creek & the Caloosahatchee River.
The name New Prospect was left behind, remembered only as a cemetery now. Some other early names include Samville, Bayshore, Cabana City, and even Woodrow for President Woodrow Wilson.
The area struggled during the 1920’s due to a pair of devastating hurricanes hitting land in 1921 and 1926. This forced many of the settlers and loggers out of the area, and new development of North Fort Myers began in earnest in the 1930’s.
In 1954, the world famous Shell Factory moved from their seashore home in Bonita Springs that burned down to Powell’s old settlement in North Fort Myers. Despite severe damage from Hurricane Donna in 1960, the popular tourist site survived and remains a popular draw to this day.
The Lee Civic Center opened in 1978, becoming the area’s first major site for concerts, trade shows and sporting events. While larger venues have since opened in other parts of Lee County, it is still a popular site for more intimate shows and continues to host the Southwest Florida-Lee County Fair.
Like much of Lee County, North Fort Myers is home to hundreds of retirees. The gateway community covers some 70 square miles, with a permanent resident population that stays right around 40,000 people.
The Industry Leader in Green Pest Solutions
Good News leads the industry in providing 100% all natural, safer and more effective botanically-based eco-superior products for pest control. Products that are guaranteed safe for you, your children and your pets. That, coupled with other products that utilize naturally occurring elements found in nature, allows Good News to provide the same pest-free living guarantee, with no risk to your health.
A recent EPA study suggests that 80% of pesticide exposure occurs indoors and that measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have been found in the air inside homes!
Perimeter Plus - Green Pest Control
Our Perimeter Plus green pest control is designed to eliminate and prevent most of the creepy-crawly insect varieties we see in Florida, including ants, roaches, silverfish and, of course, spiders. We schedule 3 visits per year to provide exterior service after the initial set-up.
Your Good News technician will inspect the entire exterior of your property while sweeping cobwebs from the eaves and windows.
Once the source of insects is determined, a proper treatment of the perimeter foundation, entry points, eaves, plant beds and trees will be applied where needed using reduced–risk, green products.
If you are having any pest issues inside, your trained tech will also treat any entry points, kitchen, baths, laundry room, or problem areas using reduced–risk or even pesticide exempt products.
We guarantee your satisfaction and will return (at no charge) in between scheduled visits if you encounter any pests. Please call as soon as you see a problem. The sooner we inspect and treat, the better.
Keeping the Rodents in the Fields
One issue we see with rapidly growing and developing areas, is that rats, mice and other rodents find themselves ‘homeless,’ and decide to move in to your home—even in the most exclusive homes and neighborhoods.
The Good News Premier Rodent Program is the most comprehensive service available. We start by excluding all known entry points and sealing roof vents with proprietary covers. Then, we set several traps in the attic(s) to kill any rodents sealed in.
Next, we install 4-6 of the best bait stations available in hidden locations around the exterior perimeter. These help to keep the outside population of rodents to a minimum. We check the traps twice per week until we are sure there are no more live rodents inside.
Finally, we vacuum droppings and apply a deodorizer, sanitizer, viruscide to the entire attic space.
Many of our customers are finalizing the process by capping their insulation with T·A·P: Thermal Acoustical Pest Control. Once T·A·P™ is installed, the attic looks brand new and acts as a deterrent to re-infestation.
Term-Assure 365 - Termite Protection
Our tropical Florida environment means that the state also has the highest risk for termite problems. Termites do more damage than floods, fires and storms combined, and like those natural disasters, the more you prepare the less you feel the impact.
Termite damage isn’t covered by most homeowners policies, which means the repair costs come out of your pocket.
Good News is the leader in using natural and essential oil alternatives to control both drywood and subterranean termite pests.
Term Assure 365 is the most comprehensive and affordable termite protection in the state. First, we perform a thorough inspection of your home to be sure there is no existing evidence of termite infestation.
Next, we perform our initial Perimeter Plus interior and exterior pest control service and install 6-8 termite monitoring stations around the exterior perimeter of your home.
Then every time one of our skilled technicians visits your house (at least once every 4 months), they check the monitoring stations along with the normal treatment. And we offer a $1 million dollar damage repair warranty for homes that qualify.
If you’re building or buying, we offer Bora-Care®, an organic pre-construction treatment, and Florida-mandated real estate WDO inspections, to insure your new home is free of wood destroying organisms.
Don’t wait, schedule your termite inspection now.
T·A·P: Thermal Acoustical Pest Control
With T·A·P, you not only keep out the bugs, but you can save money on your cooling (and heating) bills! Like all our products, TAP is all natural and safe for your family and pets, but is 32% more energy efficient than fiberglass insulation, while adding a sound barrier and even reducing fire hazard.
Quick Facts About North Fort Myers:
- Boston Red Sox star & NASCAR driver Mike Greenwell grew up in North Fort Myers, and his extended family still lives there.
- Two time Super Bowl champ Neon Deion Sanders graduated from North Fort Myers High School.
- Country Music Singer – Songwriter Mindy McCready is from North Fort Myers.
- NFL player Jevon “The Freak” Kearse, started his football career with the North Fort Myers High School Red Knights.
- Vonzell Solomon, the 3rd place finisher in the 4th season of American Idol, left her job as a letter carrier in North Fort Myers to compete.
- Former Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp graduated from North Fort Myers High School.
- Canadian Football League player Noel Devine graduated from North Fort Myers High School.
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1080 Enterprise Court, Ste A
North Venice, FL 34275
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