Established in 1940, Lee County Electric Co-Op is a nonprofit electric distribution cooperative that serves more than 167,000 customers in a five-county area in Southwest Florida. Its service area includes: Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Marco Island, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Pine Island, Everglades City, Immokalee and parts of Lehigh Acres. With more than 6,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines, it is one of the largest electric cooperatives in the nation. Cooperative membership is open to all customers within the service territory and customers have received equity returns for more than 15 years. It is also one of the largest employers in Lee County. The co-op continues involvement in local communities through support of agencies such as United Way, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, Chambers of Commerce, Junior Achievement, School Districts and multiple civic groups. Its offices are in Ft. Myers, Fla.