There are strict limits in certain areas. Others technically have none, although officials there can find ways to keep the stories down. "It's different from community to community," says Mary Gibbs, Lee County's director of community development. "It's a sensitive issue."

And confusing, too.

In downtown Fort Myers, for example, the limit is supposed to be 18 stories, but Andres Duany's redevelopment plan "allows us to vary for design principles," says Amy Pintus, senior planner of development services for the city. What that means is that structures can be taller, if a successful case is made. Officials recently approved plans for a 32-floor residential building on West First Street along the Caloosahatchee River.

Others in the 30-story range have been discussed as well. Right now, the tallest existing building downtown is the old Ramada Inn & Suites, a 24-story tower under renovation for a mixed use of hotel and residential space.

In other parts of the city, there are stricter limits, Pintus says. For example, one zone allows 20 feet in height for each 10 feet of building set back from the lot line.

Collier County places no restrictions on height, as long as the proposed structure is "compatible," says Linda Bedtelyon, community planning coordinator for the county's community development division. "They have to justify the heights," she says of developers. County commissioners then decide.

Commissioners tend to take a closer look at any plans for the Vanderbilt Beach area when building proposals are made nowadays. The area has a high concentration of high-rise condos.

Farther south in Naples, the law is pretty clear. Anyone wanting to build there can plan on stopping at 42 feet, says Ron Lee, the city's community development director.

Likewise in certain Lee County municipalities, there are similar restrictions. Currently, Pine Island and Fort Myers Beach are 38 feet and the barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva are 35 feet. "They're in the island-use category," says Lee County's Gibbs. "You can't ask for a variance."

Near Florida Gulf Coast University and other so-called "suburban areas," heights generally top out at 45 feet. That tends to be OK because building a high-rise far away from the water is not among developers' priorities, she says.

-Phil Borchmann