On Monday the Fort Myers Beach Town Council put the process in place to fill the seat of retired council member Jim Atterholt. The plan is to have the seat filled by the February 17th town council meeting.
If you’d like to be considered for the open seat you have until February 2nd to put in an application. Go HERE.
Once applications are in they will be turned over to the town council to review. The council will then vote on who they want to fill the seat at the town council meeting on February 17th. Three votes are needed to win the seat. Whoever is chosen will take the seat immediately.
The appointment would be for 10 months, until the November election, starting February 17th. Then, that seat will be on the November election for a 4-year term along with the John King seat and Rebecca Link seat.
As of today, Jim Dunlap and Tom Brady have made their interest public. Dunlap is on the LPA and chairs the Charter Review Committee. Brady came in second place in the recall election of Karen Woodson and John King. Both Brady and Dunlap have been on Beach Talk Radio several times and we’ve invited them on together on Sunday, January 18th. We will keep you posted if they accept.
Atterholt was re-elected to his seat in November of 2024 and decided to retire last month with just under 3 years left on his 4-year term.
So: according to Chris Johnson’s research, Jim Dunlap had a homestead exemption in Estero as of 01/01/25, and therefore lived there as of that date. If not, how can his homestead exemption be valid? If he did live in Estero as of that date, how can he meet the one-year FMB residency requirement quoted by Ed Ryan?
Don’t get me wrong, my hat’s off to anyone who volunteers for LPA, and to anyone with the gumption to run for Council. But how can the Council fail to appoint Tom Brady, who virtually tied with Rebecca Link in the Recall Election?
That said, Anita is the soul of Fort Myers Beach, and I’d support her in a heartbeat.
And Ed, I really appreciate what you are doing with BTR, but I wish you would treat your readers with a little more respect. I think Carol raised a legitimate question which still begs for an answer.
The Veach doesn’t care about Fort Myers Beach. He left the town Council because he did not want to sign a financial disclosure form, is a State law.
The recall is costing the citizens. Thousands of dollars shows he does not care about Beach finances. He is using bullying tactics that have no place in the public forum.
This is my opinion, and I’m sure that I’m gong to get attacked for it, but I really am sick of Veach. This is the ugliest chapter of our town history.
I’ve been very impressed by Jim Dunlap’s work on the LPA. He has stuck me as very thoughtful and thorough when considering all matters brought before them and seems to have good knowledge and background to bring to the table should he be considered for council.
Not only do I think you need to live on the Island but I feel that you need to be a property owner in order to really care and understand what problems residents are having with the town and the town doing nothing about them!!!!!
We want Anita to rise up again. She’s FMB through and through. Please put your name into the mix.
Marty Harrity
I’m not sure what the rules are, but my opinion is that you should live on the island to run for council and I think Jim Dunlap lives in Estero? Is there any such rule?
Jim Dunlap lives on the island. He does not live in Estero. Where did you even come up with that nonsense?
Ed, I’m just asking. If you try and look his properties up on LeePA, you can’t find his homesteaded property, which should be FMB if he actually lives on the island. I don’t think it’s nonsense to ask this type of question.
It is nonsense to claim he lives in Estero when you obviously have no clue. Look up the Mayor’s homesteaded property in LEEPA and tell me what you find.
Again, it’s not nonsense to ask the question. That’s all I’m doing. And you, or anyone, still have not answered that. Do you have to live on the island?
“I think Jim Dunlap lives in Estero” is not a question regardless of it being followed by a question mark. It’s a statement. What preceded the statement may have been in question form but clearly you were attempting to have your uninformed opinion seen as a fact.
Own it.
I’m so sorry I didn’t follow the grammar police. You have no idea what I was trying to do and still no one has answered my original question.
Ed: My understanding is that to be on the LPA requires town residency or property ownership in town. I am 99% sure Jim Dunlap owns property on FMB and thus is fully allowed to be on LPA. The grey area is Mr. Dunlap recently had a “homestead exemption” on his other property in Estero. I am not an election attorney but claiming homestead exemption legally means that is your legal residence. Maybe this has all changed in last 12 months. Simple question does Mr. Dunlap currently claim the homestead exemption in Estero? If Mr. Dunlap claims Homestead Exemption on his Estero property, then he is not a resident of FMB even if he spends as much time on the island as you do (ha ha ha).
Carol, you keeping saying nobody is answering your question, trying to imply that by not responding to your question, Jim Dunlap is actually not living on the island and violating the rules. Maybe you should follow along a little, maybe watch a town council meeting or two. Or go on the town website and inform yourself. Obviously you need to live on the island to run for Town Council. And, just by doing a little research before commenting, you would have also found out that you need to live on the island for a minimum of one year. You do not need to own property.
Jim Dunlap had a homestead exemption on his property in Estero as of 01/01/2025. According to Florida statutes you must register to vote and claim homestead at your primary residence. Maybe he has changed it since then. Maybe that is why Carol claimed that he lives in Estero. Just a little research. I own this and I will use my full name.
Greg King if you need a full name. No relation to John. But I did serve on the Florida Elections Commission from 2005 to 2015 and witnessed multiple hundreds of cases where innuendo was used to mischaracterize a candidacy.
Willful disregard is always easier to smell than prove. That’s why it continues to be a favorite tool in politics.
I wish Anita would run.