Climate changes, a little

The business climate in Lee County increased in the first quarter of 2017 over the last quarter of 2016, yet remains somewhat mired in mediocrity.

The Executive Business Climate Index, on a scale of 0 to 100, was a 68 in the most recent quarter, according to the Lee County Business Climate Survey Report. The Horizon Council and the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University publish the quarterly report, based on a survey sent to more than 500 Lee County executives and business owners. The index is up five points from the fourth quarter of last year and seven points from the third quarter. But “despite the increase, the index remains below a 73-to-69 band that persisted for two years until the first quarter of 2016,” the report states.

The index stems from questions about current and future economic conditions and projections. It reached 73 in the second quarter of 2015.