Southwest Florida Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its sugar white sand beaches, lush tropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are generally considered to put it south of the Tampa Bay area, west of Lake Okeechobee, and mostly north of the Everglades and to include Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. For some purposes, the inland counties of DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry, and the thinly populated mainland section of Monroe County, south of Collier, are also
Effects of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane in Florida There were four deaths, and severe damage totaling just under $13.8 million (1928 USD). At Palm Beach, which had many houses owned by wealthy individuals, approximately 1,500 houses and 500 businesses were destroyed. Damage totaled around $10 million. Inland, many communities on the southern and eastern shores of Lake Okeechobee, such as the cities of Belle Glade, Canal Point, Chosen, Miami Locks (today Lake Harbor), Pahokee, and South Bay, were ravaged by flooding after storm surge resulted in water pouring out of the shallow lake over the small dikes. Numerous structures were swept away or destroyed, and at least 2,500