Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are famous for their innovations in electricity generation and automobiles respectively, but they were also at the forefront of a massively popular trend in Florida: Rich people from up north spending the cold winter months in the Sunshine State.
Edison first visited Fort Myers in 1885 after a doctor suggested spending time in Florida's warmer climate for health reasons, and he built a house along the Caloosahatchee River the next year. Ford made many visits to southwest Florida to see Edison and purchased the property next door in 1916.
