July 17, 2026 — Southwest Florida new business activity

Southwest Florida recorded 767 new business filings the week of June 26 to July 2, the fewest in the last 13 weeks and a fourth straight weekly decline.

The slowdown was broad. Filings fell 16.3% from the 916 recorded the week before, and they came in 10.5% under the same week last year, when the region saw 857. The 13 week average now sits near 1,027 a week, and this week landed well below it.

Two counties carry the region, and both cooled. Lee County had 425 new businesses, down 50 from the week before. Collier had 205, down 67. Charlotte followed at 75. When Lee and Collier slow down, the whole region's count slows with them.

The mix kept its usual shape. Professional services led with 97 new businesses. Property holding companies (91) and real estate firms (83) were close behind, a sign that people are still setting up entities to buy and hold Southwest Florida property. Construction and trades stayed near the top at 83 even in a down week. Hospitality and tourism added 52 and retail 44.

Finance and insurance was the clear soft spot. New businesses in that group fell to 15 from 61 the week before, far below the region's usual pace, and that drop took a real bite out of the week.

A steady slowdown over the past 13 weeks with a dip this past week pulling the average down.

The bold line is the 13-week average. Read it for the longer trend. The thin line is each week's count, which swings week to week.

• 2025-26
• 2024-25
• 2023-24
• 2022-23
• 2021-22

New business formation usually runs highest around Jan and is quietest around Dec, holding near 4,000 a month across the years.

Each line is one year, ending at the current month on the right, so you can read the past year left to right. New Year's Day is left out because the state office is closed, so almost no businesses register that day.

Real Estate grew the most this week, 46 more (up 124.3%). Personal & Other Services dropped the most, 44 fewer (down 38.3%).

Lee led the region this week with 425 new filings. 1 other county also grew from the week before.

• Lee Health broke ground on a new 100,000 square foot outpatient center on Veterans Parkway in Cape Coral, its biggest project in the city in more than 40 years, with four operating rooms and heart, recovery, and infusion space, set to finish in 2027. A build this size means steady work for general contractors, site and concrete crews, electricians, plumbers, and medical equipment installers now, then cleaning, staffing, landscaping, and medical supply once it opens. It helps explain why construction and trades stayed near the top of the filing list at 83 in Lee County this week. Lee Health, 2026-05-19
• Lee Health broke ground on a 60,000 square foot pediatric surgery center and family medicine clinic next to Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers, with pediatric operating rooms and endoscopy suites, expected to open in 2028. The work goes first to builders and specialty trades, then to the cleaning, staffing, and supply firms a new surgery center needs to run. New medical space also brings more prospects for the accounting, insurance, and IT services those practices buy. Lee Health, 2026-05-13
• Naples Comprehensive Health reached a construction milestone on a new $295 million heart and stroke care building in Naples that is on track to open in 2027. A $295 million project keeps general contractors, trades, and equipment installers busy in Collier County, then feeds the cleaning, security, and medical supply firms that serve a large hospital. It is the kind of demand that keeps professional services, the county's largest filing group, forming. Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), 2026-05-29
• Alico won unanimous Collier County commission approval for the Corkscrew Grove East Village, a master planned village of about 1,446 acres that allows up to 4,502 homes plus retail, office, and self storage space, with construction possible later this decade. A village that can hold up to 4,502 homes means years of work for homebuilders, site and road crews, and landscapers, plus a growing base of buyers for the real estate, title, insurance, and property management firms that serve new households. That lines up with real estate (83) and property holding (91) sitting among the region's largest filing groups this week. Alico, Inc., 2026-04-28
• The Cape Coral City Council took up ordinances setting up two new community development districts, one of about 47 acres and one of nearly 1,280 acres, along with state funded road, bridge, and water work that includes $6.5 million for a reclaimed water line extension. New residential districts and funded infrastructure mean jobs for site work, paving, concrete, utility, and bridge contractors, then the trades and real estate firms that follow new rooftops. Cape Coral held steadier than its neighbors this week at 147 new businesses, down just 5. City of Cape Coral City Council, 2026-07-15
• Charlotte County took up a planned development rezoning for KLWP Village, about 155 acres in the Port Charlotte area filed by an affiliate of The Kolter Group, to set up a new planned community. A planned community of this size feeds homebuilders, site and utility crews, and landscapers as it moves through approvals, and it builds a pipeline of new prospects for real estate, title, and insurance firms in Charlotte County. Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, 2026-05-26
• Charlotte County also took up a planned development concept plan for Bella Via, about 43 acres east of Kings Highway in the Port Charlotte area, with room for up to 212 homes. Up to 212 planned homes means work for builders, trades, and landscapers, and later the retail and personal services new residents use. It is more proof of the building demand behind Charlotte County's steady stream of construction and real estate filings. Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, 2026-05-26

This week's total fell, but the kinds of businesses that build and serve Southwest Florida keep forming in volume. Construction and trades (83), real estate (83), and property holding (91) were three of the region's largest filing groups. That lines up with a heavy pipeline of new development in the public record. Cape Coral set up two new community districts and funded road and water work. Charlotte County took up a 155 acre planned community and a 212 home project. Collier County approved a 4,502 home village. Lee and Collier also saw three hospital construction starts. The demand behind those filings is concrete. The businesses best placed to act this week are homebuilders and trades, site and road contractors, and the real estate, title, insurance, accounting, and cleaning firms that serve new rooftops and new medical space.

These counts come from new business filings recorded with the State of Florida for the eight counties of Southwest Florida: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Lee. We wait about two weeks after each week ends for the state to finish recording every filing, so the totals here are complete and final, not early estimates. Businesses are grouped by the kind of work they do and by the county and city where they are based.

Frequently asked questions

Were fewer businesses really started, or is the count still coming in?

The count is final. We wait about two weeks after the week ends for the state to finish recording every filing, so 767 is the complete number for June 26 to July 2, not an early estimate.

Which areas had the most new businesses?

Lee County led with 425 and Collier had 205. Among cities, Naples had 199, Cape Coral 147, and Fort Myers 137.