FMB Town Council Election Day is March 8
Election day for the Fort Myers Beach Town Council is exactly four months away. There are three council seats open to fill on March 8, 2011.
A candidate for Town council must be a resident of the Town and a registered voter and must have resided within the corporate limits of the Town for a minimum of one year prior to qualifying for election. A person may announce his candidacy at any time. No person shall accept any contribution, or make any expenditure or collect candidate petition signatures with a view to bringing about his or her nomination, election, or retention in public office, or authorize another to accept such contributions or make such expenditure on the person’s behalf, unless such person has appointed a campaign treasurer and designated a primary campaign depository. Form DS-DE 9 Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository must be filed with the Town Clerk’s Office. (Florida
Statute 106.021(1)(a).)
The following is a breakdown of some calendar events with deadline dates from the Town of Fort Myers Beach website leading up to the big day:
n Dec. 21, 2010: Once File Form DS-DE 9 (Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository) is filed, a municipal candidate who intends to qualify by the petition process may begin collecting candidate petition signatures. Municipal candidates shall qualify by submitting the signatures of 51 registered electors of the Town of Fort Myers Beach. The deadline to submit candidate petition signatures is prior to Dec. 21, at noon. Candidate petition signatures shall be submitted to the Main Office of the Lee County Supervisor of Elections for signature verification. The signature verification fee is 10 cents per signature submitted and payable by campaign check or cash. A candidate who is unable to pay the signature verification fee without imposing an undue burden on his/her personal or campaign financial resources may file an Oath of Undue Burden with the Supervisor of Elections to have his/her signatures verified at no charge.
When a candidate has obtained the required number of candidate petition signatures, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections will issue a Notice of Certification of Candidate Petition Signatures to the Town Clerk.
n Jan. 4, 2011: The pre-qualifying period allows a candidate who may not be able to appear during the week of qualifying, to finalize and submit all required candidate-qualifying forms during the pre-qualifying period. The qualifying officer may accept and hold qualifying papers submitted no earlier than 14 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying period, to be processed and filed during the qualifying period. Pre-qualifying for municipal candidates begins on Tuesday, January 4, 2011.
n Jan. 7, 2011: Florida Resign-To-Run Law states no person or elected officer may qualify as a candidate for more than one public office, whether federal, state, district, county or municipal if the terms or any part thereof run concurrently with each other. Elected officers must resign from the office he/she presently holds. The resignation is irrevocable. The written resignation must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the 1st day of qualifying and must be effective no later than the earlier of the following dates: the date the officer would take office, if elected; or the date the officer’s successor is required to take office. An original written statement must be filed with the qualifying officer with whom the official originally qualified, and a copy filed with the Governor’s Office in Tallahassee. The deadline to submit the resignation is Jan. 7, 2011, and a USPS Postmark is not acceptable.
n Jan. 18-24, 2011: Under Florida Statutes 106.021 and 99.061, candidate qualifying week begins Tuesday, Jan. 18, at noon and ends Monday, Jan. 24, at noon. Final candidate-qualifying documents must be finalized and submitted during that week and campaign files can be opened with the Town Clerk any time prior to or during that week. The filing fee for a Town candidate is $144.00 (4 percent of the annual salary for an elected council member). The filing fee shall consist of a 1 percent election assessment and a 3 percent filing fee. If the candidate has obtained the required number of candidate-petition signatures, the 3 percent filing fee shall be waived. The candidate will still be required to pay the 1 percent election assessment. A candidate who is unable to pay the election assessment without imposing an undue burden on his/her personal or campaign financial resources may file an Oath of Undue Burden For Election Assessment, at the time he/she qualifies, with the Town Clerk to have the assessment waived.
n Feb. 7, 2011: Voter registration books close 29 days prior to the March 8, 2011 Town election, marking the final day to register to vote for the election.
n March 2, 2011: The last day to request an absentee ballot for the March 8, 2011 Town election is Wednesday, March 2, 2011. The Lee County Supervisor of Elections will accept a request for an absentee ballot for the 03-08-11 Town election up to 5 p.m. To request a Ballot By Mail, call the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Absentee Department at 533-6919 or 533-8683.
n March 8, 2011: Election Day polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 8, 2011. Vote, make yourself heard and make a difference.
n March 21, 2011: The term of an elected member of the council begins at the first council meeting following the Town election. This falls on Monday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m.
-compiled by Executive Editor Bob Petcher