The plan to replace Jim Atterholt on the Fort Myers Beach Town Council will be set in motion on January 5th. That’s the next Town Council meeting when the remaining 4 members will discuss how to proceed with filling the seat. Here’s what we know.
What we do know is that this council will set a deadline for interested Fort Myers Beach residents to send their application to fill the seat to Town Clerk Amy Baker. They will also set a meeting date to take a vote on those candidates. At that meeting it’s likely that those that are interested will speak about public comment about why they want to fill the seat. The votes are open for the public to see and the first person to receive 3 votes will take the seat immediately. Atterholt’s resignation will be effective at the end of the year.
What we do not know is how long the appointment is for. The town charter says the appointment is until “the next election.” The next election is obviously in 2026 when John King’s seat and the seat Rebecca Link took over after the recall are both on the ballot in 2026. Atterholt’s seat has just under 3 years remaining so the next election for that specific seat is in 2028. Town Attorney Nancy Stuperich will likely advise the council on how long the appointment is for or the town council can vote to decide on their own based on the vagueness of the charter.
So far we know that LPA member and Charter Commission Chair Jim Dunlap and Tom Brady plan to submit their names for the seat. Brady missed being elected to the Town Council during the recent recall election. Rebecca Link received 7 more votes than Brady did.
This is not the first time this Town Council has had to appoint a new member. Bill Veach resigned at the end of 2023 when he thought more personal financial information would be required of all elected officials in the state. That requirement was eventually dropped by Tallahassee.
In February 2024 Scott Safford was eventually appointed after numerous tied votes that led to several candidates dropping out of contention as the remaining 4 memebrs could not come up with a majority vote. Safford went on to win the seat in November of 2024, which was when Veach’s term was set to expire. Safford received the third most votes behind Dan Allers and Jim Atterholt. Greg Scasny also ran and came in 4th.
The town council meeting on January 5th begins at 9AM and we will carry the meeting live on our Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
You can read Atterholt’s full resignation letter below and watch our special show with the Mayor HERE when the news broke.
Jim Atterholt’s full retirement/resignation letter:
Today, I am announcing my retirement from the Fort Myers Beach Town Council effective the end of this year. My time of service, particularly after Hurricane Ian when I served as Vice Mayor, has been both challenging and rewarding. Brenda and I were on the island for Hurricane Ian and saw first-hand the massive destruction. Everyone was impacted differently by Ian—for me it created a sense of urgency to help rebuild our island.
Post Hurricane Ian, it has been a privilege to be part of an effort to assist our residents after the storms with various problems including debris removal, power, internet, insurance, and permitting. As Vice Mayor, I partnered with the Mayor and the majority of my colleagues on the Council to successfully put in place and support a new Town governance team in response to the many challenges we faced post Ian. I continue to have great confidence in our leadership team at Town Hall. In addition, I spearheaded efforts to help get basic services open again including the post office, CVS pharmacy, 7-Eleven gas station, Beach School and Santini Plaza.
My view public service is that it is a calling. It has been a privilege to be in government service first at the federal level, as Chief of Staff to a Member of Congress in DC, at the state level in Indiana as State Representative, Insurance Commissioner, Chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission as well as Chief of Staff to the Governor and most recently at the local level as Vice Mayor for the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
I was first elected on March 5, 2019, running for a three-year term. That same election included two Charter amendments—moving the election from spring to fall and extending terms from three years to four. Both passed and took effect immediately, which resulted in Mayor Allers and me serving four years and eight months in what was originally intended to be a three-year term.
As our island was right in the middle of our hurricane recovery at the end of my first term, I decided to run for a second term to best serve my community. As I announce my retirement, I will have served close to six years. It has been a blessing.
Just last month, Brenda and I became grandparents to our first grandchild who lives in Colorado and we expect more grandkids will be coming soon. In addition, another of our sons recently moved to Tampa and we hope to spend more time with him. We will always be looking for ways to serve our community but hopefully now with a schedule that will allow us more time for travel. The future is bright for Fort Myers Beach, and I pray for the continued success of our island. Thank you again for the privilege to serve–God Bless.
Onward!
Jim Atterholt
In my opinion, if the town charter says “until the next election”, the filled seat should be up for vote in 2026. If the town charter says “until the next election for that specific seats term”, the seat should be up for vote in 2028. To me, it should be pretty easy to read the actual words in the charter and make the decision accordingly.