The mission of Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
Scouting America is the nation's largest values-based youth development organization. Its program builds character, trains young people in the responsibilities of citizenship, and develops personal fitness and leadership.
Here in Southwest Florida, our volunteers, supporters, and donors share that focus: instilling life skills, values, and leadership in today's young people.
From the 2025 Council President
"Our real success is revealed through the Scouting experience our Scout leaders provide thousands of young people throughout Southwest Florida."
Kevin Shimp2025 Council President
2025 by the Numbers
Council Membership
Youth served by Southwest Florida Council programs in 2025.
1,627
Cub Scouts
Kindergarten through 5th grade
1,067
Scouts BSA
Ages 11 to 17
48
Venturing
Ages 14 to 20
176
Exploring
Career exploration
13,155
Learning for Life
School-based programs
$1.12 million
in community service
32,228 service hours by Scouts and volunteers, valued at the national rate of $34.79 per volunteer hour.
700+
Scouts at long-term camp
Plus thousands of Scouts, leaders, and families at weekend events on our two council properties.
92 Eagle Scouts
in 2025
Including 30 female Eagle Scouts since 2021. Top merit badges earned:
Citizenship in the NationSwimmingFirst AidPhotography
2025 Annual Report
The full story of our year: membership, camping, service, finances, and the people who made it happen.
Research reinforces what Scouting has been teaching since 1910. Youth who were Scouts for four or more years are:
Source: studies by Harris Interactive and Tufts University.
Better able to care for the environment89%
Better able to get along with others88%
Always ready to give their best effort87%
Confident in themselves87%
Goal oriented87%
Better able to care for other people86%
Respectful of others86%
Since the1920sFort Myers
Our Story
Nearly a century of Scouting in Southwest Florida
Scouting in Southwest Florida dates back to the Royal Palm Council, organized in Fort Myers in the mid-1920s to serve Lee, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry counties. It started with about 191 Scouts in at least six troops, and its summer camp, Camp Ropaco, took its name from the first letters of ROyal PAlm COuncil. In 1937, Royal Palm merged into Sunny Land Council.
Southwest Florida Council was formed in Fort Myers in the late 1960s. In 1995, Sunny Land Council, which served Manatee and Sarasota counties, merged into Southwest Florida Council, bringing Camp Flying Eagle with it and creating the council we know today. Through it all, thousands of young people and a long line of dedicated leaders have carried on the same ideals: a commitment to youth, community, and a better future, tied together by the Scout Oath and the twelve points of the Scout Law.
Where We Serve
Four Districts, Seven Counties
Southwest Florida Council serves Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee, and Sarasota counties, plus parts of DeSoto and Hendry counties.
Alligator
Collier County
Manatee
Manatee County
Panther
Lee and Hendry counties
Two Rivers
Charlotte, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties
Council Properties
1,280 Acres
Price-Sanders Scout Reservation
Set within the Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area, with two camps: Camp Miles for Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Explorers, and Cub Family Camp for Cub Scouts and their families.
Facilities include a dining hall, troop campsites, health lodge, trading post, archery, rifle, and shotgun ranges, a lakeside chapel, ecology and training lodges, a swimming pool, and a boating island.
185 Acres
Camp Flying Eagle
On Upper Manatee River Road in Bradenton, surrounded by mossy oaks and large hardwoods, next to Rye Preserve Park.
The Manatee River is the backdrop for the amphitheater and dining hall, and provides plenty of water activities.
Fort Myers
Council Office & Conference Center
Council headquarters with administrative offices, three conference rooms, a kitchenette, and a nationally operated Scout Shop.
The conference center offers more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space, with partitions for up to four breakout areas.
Council Finance
It takes $1.8 million to make Scouting happen
The budget is our program expressed in dollars. Friends of Scouting, the council's annual giving campaign, is one of the most important ways families and supporters keep Scouting strong in Southwest Florida.
The campaign typically runs November through March, and every tax-deductible gift stays here to support local Scouts.
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