Pending a final contract deal with Town Manager Andy Hyatt, Fort Myers Beach resident Monica Schmucker will become the new Town of Fort Myers Magistrate. Schmucker will replace Myrnabelle Roche who submitted her resignation in the Summer of 2023 and has continued to serve the town until a new hire was made.
If someone wants to contest a parking ticket or code violation the case is heard by the Magistrate. The Magistrate hearings are less formal than a regular court hearing and going before the Magistrate prevents the Town Council from having to hear and deal with every objection. The Magistrate acts as a referee between a resident and the town attorney who represents the town in the cases.
Schmucker is an attorney who’s been a Fort Myers Beach resident since 2016. She was very involved in the ad-hoc committee to get the Beach School reopened and is currently running for the Lee County School Board.
Schmucker told Beach Talk Radio News she’s honored to be selected to serve as the special magistrate for the Town of Fort Myers Beach. “After so much disruption over the past year and four months, it’s nice when we see a little normalcy return to the island, even if little by little. If I can help the town take some of those steps forward, it is a privilege to do so. I am looking forward to helping get caught up on any pending matters and resolve any future matters expeditiously and efficiently. I commit to taking this honor seriously, to always try my hardest to do my very best in what I do, and to treat everyone before me with dignity and fairness.”
A final contract between Schmucker and the Town is expected to come back before the Town Council for approval in early February. Roche was being paid $190 per hour for coming to Town Hall to hear the cases and additional fees of $95 per hour to prepare for cases and issue findings.
Congratulations Monica
Excellent!