Council asks state for BP funds for ads
The Fort Myers Beach Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to request monetary assistance from the State of Florida to be used by the Town of Fort Myers Beach to inform the public and prospective visitors to Southwest Florida of the fact that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf has had no physical impact on the area’s beaches.
The action is in response to decreased town revenues due to the economy, subsequent oil spill and inaccurate perception that the oil has left a physical impact to the Beach. Council approved the Resolution 10-19 and can use any allocated funds it receives for various reasons.
“The way the ordinance is written, it requests the funds come to the town,” said Town Manager Terry Stewart. “The Town would then have the option to decide to give those funds to the (Lee County) VCB or keep some of the funds to do some of the advertising of its own or do a combination of both. But, the resolution specifically requests funds for the Town. The resolution is a request for the funds and sets no parameters for use of the funds.”
Councilman Alan Mandel, who made the motion to approve the resolution, said Stewart and he attended a local, daily newspaper meeting which assembled media and community groups to develop an integrated message which he hopes will be used by all area groups.
“I think the problem that came out in this meeting is one that a lot of people nationally and internationally do not know and understand the geography of Florida,” said Mandel. “They are not sure where we are compared to where the oil spill is. It’s necessary to get this message out. This isn’t something that will just go away overnight. We need to sustain this effort for a long time.”