Lee County Supervisor of Elections finalizes recall ballot
Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle has finalized the Town of Fort Myers Beach recall election ballot for the recall election of Fort Myers Beach councilmembers John King and Karen Woodson.
Doyle’s office has released a copy of a sample ballot for the public as Fort Myers Beach voters have begun receiving notices from the elections office to submit a request for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 23.
The ballot first asks voters whether they want to recall King and Woodson, followed by a separate question of whether they want to vote for Tom Brady, Rebecca Link or Edward Rood. Voters can choose up to two candidates.
Whether Brady, Link or Rood are elected depends on whether voters approve the recall or not. If both King and Woodson are recalled, the top two-vote getters would gain their seats. If only one of the councilmembers is recalled, the top vote-getter would get their seat. The term of office runs through November, 2026 at which time another election will be held for those four-year seats.
All Town of Fort Myers Beach voters must be registered by Oct. 6.
For those planning to return their ballots by mail, the elections office suggests they be sent out by Tuesday, Oct. 28 in order to be received by the deadline of Tuesday, Nov. 4.
While there is no early voting, voters (or someone they choose) can return a ballot to any branch office location before Election Day, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
All in-person voting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, located on Oak Street, in Fort Myers Beach.
For those hand-delivering vote-by-mail ballots on Election Day on Nov. 4, the following offices will be the only offices to accept those ballots:
Bonita Springs Branch Office
25987 S Tamiami Trail, #105
Bonita Springs, 34134
Lee County Elections Center
13180 S Cleveland Avenue
Fort Myers, 33907
Main Office
Melvin Morgan
Constitutional Complex
2480 Thompson Street, 3rd Floor
Fort Myers, 33901
For further details on how to request a ballot and submit a ballot by mail, visit the Lee County Supervisor of Elections website at https://www.lee.vote/Election-Information/Election-Dates-and-Deadlines/November-4-2025.
King and Woodson are facing a recall after two committees of Fort Myers Beach citizens collected petitions with signatures from 15% of the electorate to force the recall over various allegations involving the Sunshine Law and Fort Myers Beach Charter. King and Woodson have denied all charges and have filed suit in Lee County Circuit Court to stop the election, through funding approved by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council. The allegations include accusations they received unreported gifts and allegedly worked together in an attempt to replace former Town of Fort Myers Beach Attorney John Herin Jr. in 2023.