Brady, Cereceda, Link elected to Town of Fort Myers Beach Council
A realignment of the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council took place on Tuesday night as voters re-elected Councilmember Rebecca Link and sent back former Mayor Anita Cereceda onto the council with Protect FMB President Tom Brady in an election that was a bellwether on the pace of large-scale developments in the town since Hurricane Ian.
Brady, Cereceda and Link outperformed Local Planning Agency board member Ed Schoonover for the three seats up for election. Early voting and mail ballots had Cereceda received nearly double the number of voters as Schoonover with 1,219 votes to 614 for Schoonover Brady received 1,017 votes and Link earned 914 votes. Delays in tabulations of Election Day voting prevented a fully tally before press time but would appear insurmountable.
Two of the seats up for election were vacated by Councilmember John King and John McLean. Both King and McLean did not seek re-election. King, who was elected in 2022 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, had survived a recall election last year in which he was outvoted but was saved through a judge’s ruling that invalidated recall petitions against him. King is still seeking defamatory charges against former Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy and former Councilmember Billy Veach for their roles in leading the recall effort.
That recall election brought Link onto the Council, as she was the top vote-getter. Link’s election recalled former Councilmember Karen Woodson from office. Both King and Woodson faced charges that they took in unreported gifts among other charges, allegations they both denied. Woodson is also suing Murphy and Veach for defamation.
Tuesday’s election victories were seen as wins for the movement to stop some of the large-scale developments in town. As president of Protect FMB, Brady sought to reverse the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council’s 2024 decision to allow the 17-story high Seagate Development Group condo tower. The group ultimately lost their legal battle. Cereceda contributed financially to the group, which led to calls by some, including Woodson, for her to resign her seat as chair of the Local Planning Agency. Cereceda ultimately held her seat on the Local Planning Agency, which she will now have to relinquish.
Cereceda was the town’s first mayor after Fort Myers Beach incorporated in 1996, following a 1995 election. Cereceda was instrumental in helping to form the town’s first Comprehensive Plan. She served two stints on the Town Council, serving through 2000 after being elected twice, and then again from 2014-2020 as mayor and councilmember. She had to vacate her seat the second time due to term limits that the town enacted upon incorporation. At the time, terms were limited to three years, though in 2020 voters elected to extend the terms of councilmembers to four years. Cereceda has supported some developments on the Local Planning Agency such as the Arches Bayfront hotel redevelopment at Moss Marina, and more recently the One Particular Harbour hotel project by TPI. Both projects faced opposition from neighbors. Cereceda voted against the Seagate project as well as against the 15-story London Bay redevelopment of the former Outrigger Beach Resort. London Bay has since pursued a Live Local Act proposal with workforce housing which seeks to bypass the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council’s review. The councilmembers could still potentially weigh in if any legal challenges were to develop. Link most recently voted in favor of the One Particular Harbour project next to The Whale at the former Silver Sands Resort.
McLean was appointed by the current Town of Fort Myers Beach Council in February, following the resignation of former Councilmember Jim Atterholt.
Brady, Cereceda, and Link will join Mayor Dan Allers and Vice Mayor Scott Safford on the Town Council.