Businesses prepare for spring training crowds along Florida's Gulf Coast

Southwest Florida businesses are preparing for the influx of visitors expected during the spring training season, as the warm weather and lifestyle attract many to the area.

Teresa Kulick, a regular visitor from Iowa, said, "I come down once a year from Iowa to get away from the winters. I usually arrive after Christmas, right around New Year's, and then I stay till the end of February."

Kulick enjoys spending time with friends in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, and she looks forward to visiting downtown each year.

"Oh no, I love the shopping. We do a lot of that. And then of course the restaurants, the seafood. Love that too," she said.

Tricia Davis, owner of First Scoops, anticipates the busy season, noting, "We kind of die down the first, you know, two and a half, three weeks of January and then February, things really start to come alive."

She expects to see many families visiting during February and March.

"Families. Families. Lots of them. Big groups coming in and just enjoying, you know, what we have here in Southwest Florida," Davis said.

Spring training for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins draws many visitors to Lee County, with the county reporting $56.7 million generated from activities outside the ballpark.

Amy Bennett, owner of Enjewel in downtown Fort Myers, looks forward to this time of year, saying, "That's our peak time as it keeps us busy and keeps us going the rest of the year."

Bennett enjoys meeting diverse visitors during spring training.

"It's just fun. You meet all different people and you get to help them find stuff and just tell them about the area and all the stuff they can do. And so hopefully gets them to come back," she said.

Local businesses are using the weeks following the holiday crowd to regroup before the influx of baseball fans.

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