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Thomas Edison and Henry Ford among the original snowbirds: The rich going to Florida for the winters
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A sculpture of Thomas Edison stands at the entrance to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Fort Myers, Fla. - photo by AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — 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.