Newspaper battle heats up in Lee County

BONITA SPRINGS — The Naples Daily News ratcheted up its battle for advertisers and readers in South Lee County, boosting its presence in fast-growing Bonita Springs and Estero.

The newspaper will staff the new Bonita Springs office with additional reporters and advertising sales staff, battling the Fort Myers News-Press for readers and advertisers. The staff will include seven advertising executives and three editorial staffers, the Daily News says on its website.

“Just as your communities have grown so has the need for us to do a more in depth job of covering them,” says William Barker, president and publisher of the Naples Daily News and The Banner, in a statement distributed by the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We are meeting that need by expanding our northern bureau and moving into a larger location at the border of Bonita and Estero,” Barker says in the statement. “This will allow us to increase our reporting and advertising staffs to best serve you.”

Hertz is building its new global corporate headquarters in Estero and the area is home to two super-regional malls. The area's residents also recently voted to incorporate into a municipality.