Fort Myers Beach official going to State of the Union. What we know

Fort Myers Beach will be getting some recognition on Capitol Hill tonight.

Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak will attend the 2023 State of the Union Dinner and Address in Washington D.C., aiming to share the town's recovery journey since Hurricane Ian's hit in September.

In a press release from the chamber Tuesday morning, officials shared that Liszak is a guest of the First Lady, Jill Biden. Liszak will be a guest for dinner at the White House and then will join the First Lady in her box during the State of the Union address.

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The Fort Myers Beach area was one of the hardest hit from Hurricane Ian's wrath on Sept. 28, experiencing extreme storm surges and extensive flooding.

Here's what we know:

Who is Jacki Liszak? What is her role for Fort Myers Beach?

Liszak is the President and CEO of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, as well as an elected Fire Commissioner for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District. She and her husband also own and operate the Sea Gypsy Inn, which was lost in Hurricane Ian.

In a press release from the White House, it was noted that the President and First Lady met Liszak when they surveyed storm damage from Ian.

The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are lowering energy costs and making communities, like Fort Myers, more resilient to extreme weather events through record funding to strengthen and weatherize our nation’s power grid, roads, bridges, homes, public water systems and more.

"I am thankful for this opportunity to draw attention to the need for continued assistance for Fort Myers Beach at both the Federal and State level," Liszak said. "Even though progress has been made, and we are so very thankful for the support we have received, we still need significant help to rebuild our island.”

Who else is invited to the State of the Union address?

In addition to Liszak, each of these individuals were invited to join the First Lady and the White House because "they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people."

• Maurice and Kandice Barron (New York, New York)

• Lynette Bonar (Tuba City, Arizona)

• Bono (Dublin, Ireland)

• Deanna Branch (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

• Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar (Seattle, Washington)

• Ruth Cohen (Rockville, Maryland)

• Mitzi Colin Lopez (West Chester, Pennsylvania)

• Maurice “Dion” Dykes (Knoxville, Tennessee)

• Kate Foley (Arlington Heights, Illinois)

• Darlene Gaffney (North Charleston, South Carolina)

• Doug Griffin (Newton, New Hampshire)

• Saria Gwin-Maye (Cincinnati, Ohio)

• Harry Miller (Upper-Arlington, Ohio)

• Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith (Northampton, Massachusetts)

• Paul Pelosi (San Francisco, California)

• Paul Sarzoza (Phoenix, Arizona)

• Brandon Tsay (San Marino, California)

• RowVaughn and Rodney Wells (Memphis, Tennessee)

• Amanda and Josh Zurawski (Austin, Texas)

The First Lady has also invited the Ambassador of Ukraine, Oksana Markarova, to join her as a guest for the State of the Union.

What goals does Liszak have during the State of the Union?

When asked about what she hopes to accomplish as a guest at the White House, Liszak said:

“To those I meet at the White House dinner and at the State of the Union address, I hope to share my story of losing both my home and business to Hurricane Ian and I hope to share the stories of my friends, neighbors and colleagues so that I may help put faces and names on what would otherwise just be numbers.”

The chamber press release further expressed that Liszak is proud to be able to represent Fort Myers Beach and is mindful of the serious responsibility she carries with her as visits Washington D.C.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the residents, the business community, nonprofits, environmental groups, and our elected officials in this effort to rebuild our community. I do not want the nation to forget that we are still recovering and that we need their support now and into the future as we work to build back our island paradise,“ Liszak said. "As a community, we will build our island back -- one home and business at a time and we will need your support in the coming months and years.”

"The Fort Myers Beach Chamber recognizes that the journey to returning to normalcy will be a long road, however, the Chamber, its Board of Directors and its membership steadfastly believe that the community will need to continue to be engaged and cohesive now, more than ever.”

When is the State of the Union? How can I watch?

President Joe Biden will carry out his address on Capitol Hill at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT and will be carried on most major networks.

CSPAN will be streaming the President’s speech live on their website. Additionally, the White House will be streaming the event on its YouTube channel, with translation into ASL available.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Beach chamber president invited to state of the union