Southwest Florida is the region along the south west gulf coast of the
U.S. State of
Florida. 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 included.