{"id":31978,"date":"2025-11-03T23:15:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T23:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/31978\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T23:15:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T23:15:08","slug":"final-messages-from-the-town-of-fort-myers-beach-council-candidates-fort-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/31978\/","title":{"rendered":"Final messages from the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council candidates – FORT MYERS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Brady, who heads the group Protect FMB, which has waged a legal challenge to stop the Seagate condo tower development project, has announced his candidacy for the town council seats held by John King and Karen Woodson in the Nov. 4 recall election. Photo provided<\/p>\n

\"article<\/p>\n

Tom Brady, who heads the group Protect FMB, which has waged a legal challenge to stop the Seagate condo tower development project, has announced his candidacy for the town council seats held by John King and Karen Woodson in the Nov. 4 recall election. Photo provided<\/p>\n

Tom Brady<\/p>\n

This Recall election is about accountability, transparency, and protecting the character and future of Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n

As the Recall election approaches, it is essential that every voter understands both the process and the issues at hand. The Recall has followed all procedures established by state law and serves one fundamental purpose: to ensure that residents\u2019 voices are heard. It is entirely legal, transparent, and grounded in the democratic principle that elected officials must remain accountable to the people they serve.<\/p>\n

Under the current leadership, division has taken root across the island. Taxes are higher, property values have declined, home sales are stagnant, the school remains closed, streets flood, traffic worsens, and many local businesses remain shuttered. Without change, the island faces continued slow recovery, the loss of the Beach School, and the unchecked rise of more 17-story buildings. Our community will remain vulnerable to overdevelopment and environmental neglect.<\/p>\n

If elected, I will work tirelessly to restore transparency in all council matters, end preferential treatment for large developers, strengthen fiscal responsibility, and protect residential neighborhoods from further commercial intrusion. I will uphold the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code-principles designed to preserve the integrity and character of Fort Myers Beach. My focus will be on responsible growth, environmental stewardship, and the restoration of community values.<\/p>\n

I chose to make this island my permanent home because of its family-friendly, small-town charm, its vibrant local businesses, and its true sense of community-let\u2019s \u201ckeep it funky.\u201d This is a tipping point: a vote for the recall, and for me, is a vote for sustainable economic growth while maintaining the human scale of our island-the foundation of our real-property value-and a vote for the residents.<\/p>\n

Together, we can restore trust, protect what makes this community special, and build a stronger, more sustainable island for generations to come.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Link<\/p>\n

\"article<\/p>\n

Rebecca Link, a school technology consultant who worked on grant funding for the Town of Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian, has announced her candidacy for the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council recall election to be held Nov. 4. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

Tom Brady<\/p>\n

This recall election is about one simple question: Who does our town government serve \u2014 the people of Fort Myers Beach, or the developers who want to change it forever?<\/p>\n

After Hurricane Ian, we were promised a rebuild that honored our history, our neighborhoods and our Comprehensive Plan. Instead, two council members broke that promise \u2014 approving massive development projects that directly affect residential neighborhoods. They stopped listening to the people who elected them. Your emails go unanswered. Your voices have been ignored. And now, residents feel betrayed.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just about buildings. It\u2019s about trust. It\u2019s about whether Fort Myers Beach remains a community \u2014 or becomes a playground for big developers.<\/p>\n

Some say our town is \u201cdivided.\u201d I don\u2019t buy it. That\u2019s just noise from outside forces stirring up drama. The truth is, the people of Fort Myers Beach are united \u2014 united in wanting a town that listens, respects and protects its residents.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m elected, that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019ll fight for. I will defend our Comprehensive Plan, stand up to outside interests and bring transparency back to Town Hall. You deserve answers, not excuses \u2014 and leadership that puts residents first, every time.<\/p>\n

This is our moment to take our island back. Let\u2019s restore accountability, protect our neighborhoods and keep Fort Myers Beach the vibrant, small-town community we love.<\/p>\n

Edward Rood<\/p>\n

\"article<\/p>\n

I am the only progressive pro development candidate on the Nov 4th ballot for FMB Town Council. I have been in the building and development industry my entire life. Our island of FMB has many areas that are vastly different with very different needs. Some areas should only have three floors over flood, but I do not agree with holding the entire Island to three floors over flood. A one size fits all mentality will stifle development and stop progress. <\/p>\n

Before Ian, the island had approximately 2200 rooms for vacationers. We now have about 900 and that will not support local business that rely on season vacationers. How long will Publix, CVS, 7- Eleven and other corporate business stay here not making a profit? We need nice resorts and entertainment that fits the properties that make sense. The vacationers provide the necessary economy so local businesses can profit and operate.<\/p>\n

Have you driven around on the side streets off Estero? The streets are falling apart, the drainage is terrible. Our infrastructure is old and hasn\u2019t been kept up. Where are the funds coming from to make these repairs? Higher property taxes? If we don\u2019t have progressive redevelopment to bring in commercial property taxes, your property taxes are going to get higher every year. <\/p>\n

Do you want a beautiful and successful Island? Do you want nice streets with proper drainage? Do you want nice restaurants and entertainment? Do you want a commercial property tax base that keeps your property taxes from rising every year?<\/p>\n

The island will never be the same, Ian has changed the future of the island. Let\u2019s work together and make it a great future for everyone!<\/p>\n

Vote for responsible commonsense redevelopment to move Fort Myers Beach forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tom Brady, who heads the group Protect FMB, which has waged a legal challenge to stop the Seagate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-31978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}