FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla — A Lee County Judge ruled on Wednesday that the recall effort against one Fort Myers Beach Town Council member will continue. But he found issues with the recall of a second council member.
Judge Kyle Cohen ruled on the motion to dismiss the recall efforts against Karen Woodson and John King. The recall petitions accuse them of Sunshine Law violations, accepting meals from developers, and interfering with staff decisions.
Judge Cohen found the recall petition was legally sound for Woodson, clearing the way for her recall election on November 4.
But for King, Judge Cohen found one of the three allegations in his recall petition was legally insufficient. It's the accusation that King used his position to dictate the removal of several town employees.
The judge ruled that because the recall petition didn't list the employees or their positions, that there was no way for the court to say if King acted within his authority. And that one issue "causes the entire recall petition to be deficient as a matter of law," Judge Cohen wrote in his decision.
