Fran Myers named emeritus member of Lee County Tourist Development Council

Fran Myers, the former owner of the Red Coconut RV Resort on Fort Myers Beach and a longtime resident of the island, was recognized this past week by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners for her longtime service to the county by being named as an Emeritus member of the Lee County Tourist Development Council.

Myers, who served for 40 years on the Lee County Tourist Development Council as a voice for Fort Myers Beach, is stepping down from her position.

Myers, who was originally appointed to the Tourist Development Council in 1985, has also served as chair on the Lee County Port Authority Airports Special Management Committee.

In a proclamation read by Lee County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Kevin Ruane, Myers was recognized for playing a “pivotal role” in the development of Lynn Hall Memorial Park and Bowditch Point Regional Park on Fort Myers Beach.

The proclamation commended Myers for being a “passionate and effective advocate for preserving public access and recreational spaces on the island.”

Myers was previously recognized by county commissioners with the Paulette Burton “Citizen of the Year” Award and was honored last year at the Grande Dames Tea for her impact on the community.

Ruane said Myers is a “beacon of civic dedication and whose unwavering commitment has left an indelible mark on Fort Myers Beach and Lee County.”

Myers recalled the turbulations of moving to Fort Myers Beach 50 years ago from Ohio and taking up a residence initially at Times Square with her family.

“I flew into Paige Field about 50 years ago,” Myers told commissioners and those in attendance at the county commission meeting this week. “I actually thought we were going on vacation. We came with about 10 suitcases, three sets of golf clubs and tennis rackets,” Myers said.

“I moved to Fort Myers Beach but what I didn’t realize was I was really moving into the Wild West.”

After buying a building on Times Square, Myers said she and her husband moved with their three children into a two-bedroom apartment with one bathroom.

“I honestly wondered what I had done,” Myers said. Myers said she was about 300 feet from where Lee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall was fatally shot in 1979.

Myers would later be involved in the dedication of Lynn Hall Memorial Park as a county park in his honor and credited Bill Hammond with helping with the establishment of the park and Bowditch Point Regional Park.

“I became a county advocate for changing things on Fort Myers Beach,” Myers said.

Myers thanked the county officials and members of the Tourist Development Council she worked with in the past as well as the current councilmembers and administration.

Myers credited Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau Executive Director Tamara Pigott in particular. “Without Tamara at the head of the TDC, I don’t know what would happen,” Myers said.

Myers and her late husband Tom ran the Red Coconut RV Resort for 40 years before Hurricane Ian destroyed it. Myers later sold the property to Seagate Development Group.

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted during their meeting to replace Myers on the board with Brian Kramer, previously an ex-officio member who is general manager of the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs.

Fort Myers Beach is still represented on the Lee County Tourist Development Council by Mayor Dan Allers and Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina General Manager Bill Waichulis.