Every time an election nears, I think about the old tree. And the old days. Not that such things would ever fly in 2016, but once upon a time, the banyan in front of the Lee County courthouse (now ...

In 1887, newly established Lee County built itself a fine wooden courthouse on Second Street in Fort Myers. Almost three decades later, the once-sleepy county was booming.

After two and a half hours, the main trunk of the pine toppled to the ground. Because of power lines and the tree's proximity to the courthouse the County hired Harvey Tree Service to remove the tree.