A recall campaign is underway to oust Town Council members John King and Karen Woodson from the Fort Myers Beach Town Council. The recall committee has 29 days to collect 337 signatures of registered voters to keep the process alive.
If those signatures are verified by the Lee County Board of Elections, King and Woodson have 5 days to either resign or issue a statement of defense. If they decide to defend themselves, the recall committee will be sent what’s called a recall petition and defense. The recall committee then has 60 days to collect 15% of the registered voters on Fort Myers Beach to keep the process alive. All signatures will be made public.
If the Lee County Board of Elections determines that either the 10% signature collection or the 15% signature collection are invalid the process ends.
According to Florida State Statute 100.361, there are 7 grounds for a recall:
1. Malfeasance;
2. Misfeasance;
3. Neglect of duty;
4. Drunkenness;
5. Incompetence;
6. Permanent inability to perform official duties; and
7. Conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.
The interesting part about a recall is that the allegations used in a petition do not have to be proven. As long as a judge determines what’s being alleged falls under the 7 items above, the recall can proceed. A judge does not determine whether the allegations are truthful. The stature leaves that up to the voters. When pressed to share the evidence of their allegations last night Veach said he wasn’t willing to provide it, nor will he ever have to, according to the state statute on recalls.
Councilman John King sent us the following statement: “The recall petitions have nothing to do with the unfounded allegations that have been levied against me. Instead, they are merely a sad, desperate, last-ditch effort to change the outcome of the vote on the Seagate development and halt the rebuilding efforts underway on the island. A small, disgruntled faction of our community will stop at nothing to get their way, even if it means tarnishing the reputations of a hard-working, highly dedicated council members.This action will have additional consequences, creating a negative perception of Fort Myers Beach and discouraging the development we so badly need to maintain our economic viability and independence as a town.”
The recall committee is being led by former Town Councilman Bill Veach who resigned from his seat over a year ago when it appeared the state would require elected officials to reveal more of their personal financial information. Veach told Beach Talk Radio Monday night that he’s being helped by former Mayor Ray Murphy, who lost his re-election bid to King over 2 years ago and Steve Johnson, the former Chair of the MERTF committee who was not re-appointed to the committee and has been highly critical of this Town Council during public comment. Veach said there are others helping but did not mention any other specific names.
Council members must have served at least 1/4 of their term (1 of 4 years) before they can be recalled. Vice mayor Jim Atterholt, who also voted yes on Seagate is not eligible to be recalled. He was re-elected in November of 2024. Veach would not say if Atterholt would have been targeted if he was eligible.
Here are the two recall petitions being circulated by the recall committee:
If everything is validated a special election will be called and paid for by Fort Myers Beach residents. It also appears both King and Woodson would be eligible for attorney fees paid for by the taxpayers because these allegations are being made regarding actions alleged while in their official capacity as council members.
If there is a recall a list of potential candidates would be listed under the following two items on the ballots:
“ (name of person) should be removed from office.”
“ (name of person) should not be removed from office.”
If a majority of voters vote to remove King and Woodson they cannot run again for 2 years and the top two vote getters win those seats. If the majority votes to allow them to keep their seats, the recall fails. If at any point either King or Woodson resign, the Town Council would use their normal process to fill the open seat.
The entire process could take up to about a year to complete. Both King and Woodson’s seats are up for election in November of 2026.
Monday night we interviewed Veach about the recall and asked him about the evidence they have for a recall. Watch the interview HERE or HERE.
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