Congressman celebrates birthday at Doc Ford’s
Congressman Connie Mack IV (FL-14) was given a 42nd birthday celebration at Doc Ford’s Fort Myers Beach. Owner Marty Harrity presented Mack with a special surprise gift of an archival photo portraying a shrimp boat, named the Connie Mack. The boat was part of the Fort Myers Beach shrimp fleet, and the photo -taken before the congressman was born- features his grandfather, Connie Mack, Jr.
The gathering included some of Southwest Florida’s most prominent leaders along with his wife, Mary Bono Mack; step-daughter, Chianna; daughter, Addison; and son, Connie Mack V.
The photo was discovered by Harrity who was reviewing archival photos in a collection preserved by Joanne Semmer of Semmer Electric. Semmer once published a small island newspaper and retained the photo in a historical archive. In his presentation remarks, Harrity commented that political opponents made much more of the belief that Rep. Mack had no history in the district he was running in. He suggested the photo was evidence of the Representative’s deep roots in the community. Connie Mack I was the owner of shrimp boats that docked in the same area that the current Doc Ford’s restaurant overlooks.