Lee County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Lee County: 57 seats on 14 elected bodies. 14 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 102 local governments in Lee County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
6
6
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
93
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Lee County
817,666people
49median ageU.S.: 38.9
$76,107 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12%below the U.S.: 12.5%
31.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$362,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
18.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12.9%U.S.: 8.4%
60%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
36.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 24.7% · White 62% · Black 7.6% · Asian 1.7% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Lee County
4.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.8%. Florida: 4.2%.
358,848people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
376,856in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.8%
18,008
358,848
376,856
August 2026
5.1%
19,199
355,423
374,622
July 2026
5.2%
19,460
353,142
372,602
June 2026
5.1%
19,194
355,510
374,704
May 2026
4.9%
18,482
355,971
374,453
April 2026
5.0%
19,035
358,406
377,441
March 2026
4.9%
18,463
359,376
377,839
February 2026
5.3%
20,224
358,082
378,306
January 2026
5.6%
20,799
352,199
372,998
December 2025
5.0%
18,497
353,373
371,870
November 2025
5.5%
20,519
353,703
374,222
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.8%
17,735
355,313
373,048
August 2025
4.7%
17,578
353,796
371,374
July 2025
4.6%
16,972
355,400
372,372
June 2025
4.3%
16,119
357,908
374,027
May 2025
3.8%
14,302
361,557
375,859
April 2025
3.6%
13,562
366,427
379,989
March 2025
3.6%
13,844
367,612
381,456
February 2025
3.7%
14,142
365,372
379,514
January 2025
3.9%
14,598
364,057
378,655
December 2024
3.3%
12,520
363,208
375,728
November 2024
3.8%
14,175
360,146
374,321
October 2024
3.8%
13,973
358,096
372,069
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.3%
16,170
359,502
375,672
2024
3.5%
13,314
362,235
375,549
2023
3.3%
12,184
358,211
370,395
2022
3.4%
12,268
348,732
361,000
2021
4.4%
15,451
332,676
348,127
2020
7.8%
26,140
309,004
335,144
2019
3.3%
11,016
326,060
337,076
2018
3.6%
11,733
318,353
330,086
2017
4.2%
13,657
310,960
324,617
2016
4.7%
15,195
305,514
320,709
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Florida's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Lee County
265.7 per 100,0002020. Florida: 383.6.
1,024.4 per 100,0002020. Florida: 1,769.4.
32murders2020, 2,091 violent crimes in all.
2020 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2020
2,091
265.7
8,062
1,024.4
2019
1,951
254.1
8,805
1,146.8
2018
2,123
280.3
10,702
1,412.9
2017
2,291
308.4
11,153
1,501.2
2016
2,556
354.5
11,526
1,598.7
By police agency (4)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Lee County Sheriff's Office
2025
968
3,835
519,074
Cape Coral Police Department
2023
277
2,086
228,672
Fort Myers Police Department
2025
457
1,095
103,372
Sanibel Police Department
2020
2
38
7,511
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Florida · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.58 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 872,324 people.
1,375sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
1,128civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Lee County Sheriff's Office
803
914
519,074
Cape Coral Police Department
308
102
243,527
Fort Myers Police Department
241
96
103,372
Sanibel Police Department
23
16
6,351
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
1,375
1.58
1,128
4
2024
1,306
1.49
1,140
4
2023
1,249
1.46
1,083
4
2022
1,244
1.52
1,062
4
2021
1,229
1.54
1,067
4
2020
1,201
1.53
1,015
4
2018
1,133
1.50
1,007
4
2017
1,077
1.45
1,074
4
2016
1,127
1.56
983
4
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Lee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller?
Kevin C. Karnes (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Lee County, Florida.
Who is the Lee County Property Appraiser?
Matt Caldwell (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Lee County, Florida.
Who is the Lee County Sheriff?
Carmine Marceno (Republican) is the Sheriff of Lee County, Florida.
Who is the Lee County Supervisor of Elections?
Jenna Persons-Mulicka (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Lee County, Florida. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Lee County Tax Collector?
Noelle Branning (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Lee County, Florida.
Who are the Lee County commissioners?
Kevin Ruane (District 1); Cecil L. Pendergrass (District 2); David Mulicka (District 3); Brian Hamman (District 4); Patricia "Trish" Petrosky (District 5).
Who is on the Lee County School Board?
Denise Carlin (Superintendent of Schools); Samuel Fisher (District 1); Melisa W. Giovannelli (District 2); William F. Ribble, Jr. (District 3 (Vice Chair)); Debbie Jordan (District 4); Armor Persons (District 5 (Chair)); Jada Langford Fleming (District 6 (At-Large)); Vanessa M. Chaviano (District 7 (At-Large)).
What is the population of Lee County?
About 817,666 people, with a median age of 49; the median household income is $76,107 and 12% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lee County?
4.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 18,008 people unemployed in a labor force of 376,856, against 4.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lee County?
102 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 2 school district and 93 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Lee County?
6: Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county Supervisor of Elections' official lists and candidate filings and the bodies' own websites; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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