Why Cape Coral candidates are putting campaign signs across the river in Fort Myers
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Cape Coral political candidates are placing campaign signs in Fort Myers to reach voters commuting between the two cities, a strategy that has drawn both support and criticism.
Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter and District 6 council candidate Liza King both placed signs along Colonial Boulevard near the Midpoint Bridge, the least likely place you might expect to see a Cape Coral campaign sign.
Cape Coral resident Tyson Norris criticized the approach.
“I think it is ridiculous that you don’t have jurisdiction to be over here in Fort Myers advertising for mayor in Cape Coral,” Norris said. “It’s a very old-fashioned way of doing it.”
King explained her reasoning for placing signs in Fort Myers, noting the high number of Cape Coral residents who commute to Fort Myers for work.
“We have so many Cape Coral residents driving over the bridge into Fort Myers for work,” King said. “I thought it was unique and innovative to catch those voters coming over the bridge.”
Republican political consultant Terry Miller said campaign signs are often used in lower-funded campaigns.
“They play a role in lower-funded campaigns, when candidates don’t have a lot of money to get their message out,” Miller said.
However, he noted that signs can lose their impact due to oversaturation.
“I’d rather use that money telling people why to vote for somebody rather than have a random sign up on the road,” Miller said.
Fort Myers resident Keenan Saint Cyrin believes campaign signs still hold value.
“I think they’re a bit relevant because it tells you who is going to be upcoming in this election,” Saint Cyrin said.
He suggested adding QR codes to signs to make them more effective.
“I feel like it would be a lot more effective if there were to be QR codes on the signs, so you could scan them and go to their websites,” he said.
As candidates compete for visibility, King was asked whether she would remove the signs after the election season.
King responded, “One-hundred percent, I have a team ready to go.”
Commuters can expect to see more campaign signs appearing around the Gulf Coast as the August primary and November general election approach.
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