Election filing deadlines approaching
The deadline to run for the three Town of Fort Myers Beach Council seats up for election this November, is approaching soon.
The Lee County Supervisor of Elections office, which handles the town’s elections, has set qualifying dates of June 8 at noon through June 12 for candidates to submit their paperwork and pay the election fees to run for office.
Pre-qualifying began this week, whereby candidates can submit their paperwork early.
The seats of Town of Fort Myers Beach Councilmembers John King, Rebecca Link, and John McLain are all up for election. All seats are for four-year terms, meaning whoever is elected will serve until November of 2030.
King was elected to his seat in 2022, while Link replaced former Councilmember Karen Woodson in November after a recall election. McLain was appointed to the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council in February, following the resignation of former Councilmember Jim Atterholt a month earlier.
So far, Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency (LPA) member Edward Schoonover is the only one to officially file paperwork to run. Schoonover was appointed earlier this year to the board to fill the seat of McLain. He voted in favor of London Bay’s Outrigger Beach Resort project earlier this month.
Protect FMB President Tom Brady, who has led opposition to Seagate Development Group’s condo tower project, has announced he intends to run for one of the three seats.
Brady earned the second-most votes in the recall election in November.
King was outvoted in the November recall election by Brady and Link but retained his seat after a county judge invalidated the recall petition against him.
King said this week that he has not yet made a decision on whether he will run for re-election.
Link and McLain have said they intend to run for re-election.
The qualifying fee to run for one of the Fort Myers Beach council seats is $684.09
All qualifying documents for the local elections must be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections at 2480 Thompson Street, Fort Myers 33901. The qualifying office is located at the Lee County Supervisor of Elections
Melvin Morgan Constitutional Complex, 2480 Thompson Street, third floor.
The qualifying dates on Fort Myers Beach are the same for the two open seats on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, and the four open seats on the School District of Lee County School Board.
There are three seats up for election on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners. District 2 Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass (R-Fort Myers), whose district covers Fort Myers, is seeking re-election to a new four-year term. District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman (R-Cape Coral), whose district includes Cape Coral and Fort Myers, is also seeking re-election a four-year term. District 5 Commissioner Trish Petrosky (R-Alva) is seeking to retain her seat after being appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the office of the late Commissioner Mike Greenwell. She is currently facing a challenge from Alva resident Amanda Cochran, who previously primaried Greenwell in a close race. District 5 includes Alva, Buckingham, Lehigh Acres, and part of North Fort Myers.
School board seats are also for four-year terms. There are four school board seats up for election.
The seats of District 1, District 4, District 5, and District 6 on the school board are all up for election this November.
District 1 is held by Sam Fisher, who is currently facing challenges from Cape Coral residents Heidi Charlotte Fausel and Jenn McDaigle.
District 4 is held by Debbie Jordan, who is being challenged by Fort Myers residents Carl Baxter and Gisele Gentile, and North Fort Myers resident Tony Beougher.
District 5 is held by Chair Armor Persons, who is facing challenges from Fort Myers residents Crystal Johnson and Carline Saintilus.
District 6 is the at-large seat currently held by Jada Langford-Fleming, of Fort Myers. Fort Myers resident India Palencia has announced she is challenging Lanford-Fleming for the seat.
In addition to the local races, there will be statewide races up for election this November including Governor, State House and State Senate. There will also be a Republican primary for the seat of outgoing Congressman Byron Donalds (R-Naples), who is seeking the governor’s office.
Locally, State Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs), who represents Fort Myers Beach in the state legislature, is running for another two-year term representing District 80. District 80 covers Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. So far, Botana is facing a challenge from Estero Democrat William Moskal.
Those running for a State House seat need to file paperwork with the State Division of Elections in Tallahassee. The state seats have the same qualifying dates as the local seats.
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