What was floating over Southwest Florida Monday? NWS says it was not one of its balloons

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Viewers across Southwest Florida reported seeing a white object floating in the sky Monday afternoon, with videos and photos appearing to show what looked like a balloon.

The National Weather Service said it also received several reports, but told Gulf Coast News the object was not one of its weather balloons.

"We've received a few reports of it as well, definitely not a weather balloon from us," the agency said.

According to FlightRadar 24, a stratollite balloon was in the area over Lee County, heading east at 52,200 feet. The balloon was listed as belonging to a company called World View.

FlightAware shows that the balloon took off from an area near Payson, Arizona, on Tuesday at 2:32 p.m. Mountain Time. It flew south over Mexico before heading over the Gulf and eventually over Southwest Florida.

It's not immediately clear where the balloon is headed, what its mission is, or whether it's the same object that viewers captured in videos and pictures.

If you have videos to share, you can email us here.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.