Hertz gives Naples some love

Lee County scored an economic development home run when Hertz agreed to relocate its corporate headquarters to the Bonita Springs area.

As part of the deal, Lee County agreed to give $4 million in taxpayer incentives to the company.

So it must have been somewhat bittersweet to find out that Hertz recently said it would start moving its corporate staff to temporary space in Naples. Collier County wasn't involved in the deal to attract the company.

The rental-car company plans to sublease 40,000 square feet in the Fifth Third Bank building from the bank at the corner of Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41 in Naples.

So Lee County will have to wait a couple years before it fully realizes the benefits of the Hertz relocation. The company plans to build a $68 million, 300,000-square-foot headquarters building in the Bonita Springs area, a process that should take about two years.