Editorial policy

Independence

Stay Fort Myers is editorially independent. No hotel, tour operator, restaurant, destination marketing organisation, or advertiser has any influence over what we publish, how we rank places, or the scores we assign.

We do not accept payment for inclusion in a guide, for a higher position in a list, or for a more favourable review. If a business offers this, we decline and we may note the approach in the relevant article.

Sourcing and verification

Factual claims come from one of three places: first-hand visits by our writers, primary sources such as NOAA climate normals, Lee County Parks, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida DEP, or direct confirmation from the business concerned.

Where a number is likely to change — prices, tolls, opening hours, ferry schedules — we say so on the page and tell readers to confirm before travelling, rather than presenting a stale figure as current.

We never fabricate reviews, ratings, quotes, credentials, or statistics. Where we have not personally verified something, we say so plainly.

Use of AI

We use AI tools for research assistance, outlining, and copy editing. We do not publish AI-generated text as first-hand experience, and every published page is written, fact-checked, and signed off by a named human editor who is accountable for its accuracy.

Updates and freshness

Seasonal and price-sensitive pages are reviewed at least twice a year, and weather, event, and closure information is checked before each season. Every guide displays a visible "last updated" date reflecting the last substantive review, not a cosmetic edit.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it. Material corrections are made in the body of the article and the updated date is revised. Readers can report an error through our contact page and we aim to respond within five business days.

Advertising and sponsored content

The site carries display advertising and affiliate links. Advertising is sold and served programmatically; advertisers have no visibility into or influence over editorial content.

We do not currently publish sponsored posts. If that changes, any such content will be labelled "Sponsored" at the top of the page and excluded from rankings and recommendation lists.

Reader privacy

We use a consent management platform so readers can control advertising and analytics cookies. Full detail is in our privacy policy.