$50M technical school opens in Lee County

Heights CareerTech Institute, a new career and technical education post-secondary school in Fort Myers, has opened. 

The 63,500-square-foot school is in the Harlem Heights community at the corner of Gladiolus Drive and Pine Ridge Road. Students began attending in August, but a ceremonial ribbon cutting was held Friday. 

The price tag for the school was $50 million, $42 million of which went toward the building with the remaining $8 million used for specialized laboratory equipment, three years of operational funding and the purchase of an adjacent 2.5-acre parcel, according to a statement. 

The funding for the project came from private philanthropy, state legislative appropriations and New Markets Tax Credits. 

The institute will offer career and technical education to about 500 students from across the region using curriculum being developed by an advisory group that includes local business owners and professionals. 

According to the website for the Heights Foundation, which raised money for the project, HCTI’s industry-credentialed courses “provide pathways to high-paying, sustainable careers, directly supporting the economic growth and vitality” in the region.