WEEK OF NOVEMBER 6, 2024
Volume 40, number 45
Voters retain Allers, Atterholt and Safford on town council By NATHAN MAYBERG
nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com
Voters returned all three Town of Fort Myers Beach councilmembers who were up for election Tuesday. Voters overwhelmingly returned Mayor Dan Allers and Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt to the board, while the race was much closer between the other two candidates for the third slot — Councilmember Scott Safford and challenger Greg Scasny. Safford led Scasny with 1,233 votes to 1,115 for Scasny with two of two
Dan Allers
Jim Atterholt
Scott Safford
precincts counting. Allers was the top votegetter with 2,008 votes and Atterholt received 1,921 votes. Results are unofficial until certified. The election saw a high turnout among Fort Myers Beach voters, with more than 80% of registered voters casting ballots.
The three incumbents could not immediately be reached for comment. Scasny, a Fort Myers Beach Public Library trustee, spoke out against large development projects being proposed in the town — including the Seagate Development Group condo project. Safford had been an enthusiastic supporter of development projects in the town. The town council voted 4-1 to approve the controversial 17-story Seagate Development project last week by which See TOWN COUNCIL, page 14
New vote to occur for MERTF seat By NATHAN MAYBERG
nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com
From some, Seagate represents floodgates
Residents concerned that approval of development’s 17 stories would end small-town feel of neighborhood By NATHAN MAYBERG
nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com
When Hurricane Ian wiped out their home, Dapper and Kim Davidson didn’t give up on Fort Myers Beach. They vowed to rebuild and purchased a condo
behind their property to stay in while they constructed a new house. When Hurricane Helene struck and flooded out their condo, they still were committed to returning See SEAGATE, page 16
For some Fort Myers Beach residents like Dapper Davidson, whose home under construction (above) collapsed after Hurricane Milton, the towering Seagate Development Group project would obstruct his view of the Gulf of Mexico and take away the small town charm of his neighborhood. NATHAN MAYBERG
It’s official. Two weeks after a miscount in the voting by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council to make appointments to the Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force, the town’s legal counsel has officially acknowledged there was a tie in the voting during a runoff. MERTF member Rob Howell was initially declared the winner of the runoff for the final seat though records of the written ballots requested by the Fort Myers Beach Observer showed the runoff was a tie between Howell and Tom Torgerson. The council will discuss the matter Thursday at a management and planning session and a new vote is expected Nov. 18, town counsel Nancy Stuparich said. “There does appear to be a mathematical mistake made as far as the count of the votes and so what we would like to do is address the process so that there is a better check and balance on that as well as better transparency,” Stuparich said. Stuparich said a discussion on Thursday at the town’s management and planning session will include changes to the town’s procedures regarding voting to its advisory committees. Stuparich made the disclosures to the town council on Monday, following an inquiry from Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Aterholt. The Fort Myers Beach Observer had discovered the error in the tabulations a week earlier through a Sunshine Law request after the vote tabulations were announced by Fort Myers Beach Clerk Amy Baker but
Beach Living...........................................8 insidetoday Opinions.......................................4 Business............................................6 Beach Bulletin..................................19-23
See NEW VOTE, page 18
Classifieds.............25