Zombicon dead in water? Mayor says City shouldn't subsidize it

Festival attracted an estimated 30,000 people

CREATED Oct. 23, 2012

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  • Could Zombicon be dead in the water? Promoters say city officials need to step up if they want to keep the festival in Fort Myers. But the city's Mayor says that's not going to happen. Four in your Corner's Mike Mason is live tonight to tell us why. Video by fox4now.com

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FORT MYERS - Could Zombicon be dead in the water?  Promoters say city officials need to step up if they want to keep the festival in Fort Myers. But the city's Mayor says that's not going to happen. Four in your Corner's Mike Mason is live tonight to tell us why.

Zombicon celebrates the walking dead....but now the festival itself may be walking out of Fort Myers.
Zombicon promoters say when it comes to paying for the costs of the festival.....city officials and local businesses are dead beats.

Rachel Telfor: "This is an enormous event that brings tens of thousands of dollars into Downtown Fort Myers and we deserve support."

Rachel Telfor helps organize Zombicon. This year the City of Fort Myers refused to provide any financial support. She estimates a record breaking 30-thousand people showed up this year.....of course local business owners made a lot of money -- and the City's Mayor says that's who should be footing the bill.

Mayor Randy Henderson: "I think the business community has a great responsibility to step up if they like the event they should support the event financially, they're the stakeholder they're the beneficiary."

Promoters say since they had to hire police officers they couldn't afford very many -- which resulted in chaos.

Rachel Telfor: "We don't want that. We have the event to bring good to the city not to vandalize it."

One man fell into this plate glass window.....fake blood is still splattered all over the streets....someone sprayed graffiti on dozens of buildings and this balcony collapsed when too many people jumped on it.

Justin Braatz: "There were some people on it, we were throwing beads and it just came down."

Zombicon is sponsored by a non-profit corporation which also helps other charities. This past weekend Zombicon brought in more than 5-thousand pounds of food for the Harry Chapin Food Bank, 157 units of blood for Lee Memorial Blood Center and 40 people signed up to donate bone marrow.....a record since the festival began 6 years ago.

Telfor says it wouldn't kill city officials to give them some financial support.

Rachel Telfor: "We made money but the money we are making is going directly back out to pay all of our bills which are hefty"

Mike Mason:  "If you lose Zombicon, what do you think?"
Mayor Randy Henderson: "Countless others will show up."

Promoters did ask local business owners to contribute $400 towards the cost of Zombicon but many refused.