History of the South Lee Messenger

A lot of preparation goes into producing a new newspaper and keeping it on track. And that is true for the South Lee Messenger as it starts its fourth year of coverage of news and events in Estero, San Carlos Park, Island Park, Three Oaks, and other parts of south Lee County.

The Messenger was started in 2003 as a way for Breeze Newspapers to better serve residents in the southern part of Lee County. An explosion of growth that has seen more than 20,000 new residents move into the county each year has created a need for many new resources, including the news.

As the communities have grown, so too has the Messenger. The first edition consisted of 16 pages, but now regularly greets its 30,000 weekly readers with 24 pages. The paper is home-delivered each Wednesday, and is available in racks throughout the area.

The company chose the Messenger as a mix of community and hard news. "The community is happy to have us here," said group publisher Steve DuBois. "They have made it clear that we are the only news source that covers local issues and reports on what matters to this community."