Fort Myers City Council incumbents win reelection bids

City council members Teresa Watkins Brown and Terolyn Watson won with strong showings in their campaigns for reelection to the Fort Myers City Council.

Watkins Brown took 69.9% of the vote, or 1257 votes, compared to 30.1%, or 541 votes for Martin Byrd Jr..

Florida election 2022: See results from Lee County voting

Watkins Brown's campaign is wrapped into her work on the city council, where she conducts frequent neighborhood meetings to learn about issues that are on the minds of constituents.

She called herself proud that she was able to make another run.

"I was very happy. I look at myself as a person who tries real hard to do the right thing for my constituency,"  Watkins Brown said. "You can never get to the point where you are so complacent  that this will go on forever, and I think that there is a time for every person in public office to walk away from the scene and allow new people and new ideas to come in."

For Byrd, the right time to walk away may have come before he became a candidate.

Speaking with The News-Press about his days on the campaign trail, Byrd said he "hated" being a candidate and would prefer to continue his community activism in a more direct fashion. A math teacher at Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Byrd said he intends to continue to work for community change but sees himself working in the grassroots rather than as a candidate.

Florida election 2022 live updates: Polls open in Lee County

Previously: Fort Myers Beach Town Council candidates weigh in on issues

The most bruising city council race was the battle for city council from Ward 3, one of three majority minority districts on the Fort Myers electoral map.

Incumbent Watson was forced into a runoff against Chantel Rhodes when she finished two percentage points shy of the needed 50% plus one vote majority needed to win the seat at the primary election.

Watson won the seat with 1,206 votes, or 56% of the vote. Rhodes, who received 948 votes, got 44% of the ballots cast in her favor.

Watson said she would like to see more economic development in Ward 3, especially in the area known as Midtown, where there has been a lot of talk about development, but not a shovelful of dirt has been moved to make it happen.

“It’s an anchor area right now. I’d like to see it develop properly ” Watson said, adding that she would like to see improved economic development throughout her ward, which runs from Dunbar to the area near Cleveland Avenue.

The other candidate up for reelection this year, Councilman Fred Burson of Ward 5 cruised to an easy victory due to his fortune in being the only candidate.

Brown and Byrd were the only two candidates for the seat so there was no primary in August.

Fort Myers council update: Ward 1 Fort Myers council candidates call for more economic development

By the way: Mom named father of candidate Martin Luther Byrd Jr. after civil rights activist

Read more: Fort Myers council member Brown urges help for battle against Dean Park warehouse

Watkins Brown, has been active as a member of a number of committees with the Florida League of Cities where she worked with a committee on urban policy.  She has also been president of the Southwest Florida League of Cities.

Byrd is a Bishop Verot mathemetics teacher and has been active in the Dunbar Festival.

Watson is a longtime employee of the Lee County School District transportation department. She was first elected to the city council in 2015. Rhodes is a social worker who has worked in Lee County and in situations abroad.

Primary election 2022: Watson tops ticket in Fort Myers city race; faces runoff with Rhodes

Election news: Election complaint filed over campaign for Fort Myers council seat

Rhodes filed an election law complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics, alleging "ballot harvesting" by Watson. The complaint is based on legislation signed by Gov. DeSantis earlier this year making it a crime to possess more than two vote-by-mail ballots.

Watson and Rhodes both waged brisk campaigns that included door-to-door solicitation of votes.

Rhodes had votes in the early voting, but Watson picked up more than 64% of the mail ballots in the election.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Election 2022: Fort Myers reelects city council incumbents