FORT MYERS, Fla. — In downtown Fort Myers, roads near the Caloosa Sound Convention Center are already closed ahead of Former President Donald Trump’s visit.
The former President will be in town Friday night, speaking at the Lincoln Regan Dinner in front of a sold-out crowd.
His visit comes the same night of Art Walk downtown.
“You will see an increase in manpower,” said Officer Kristin Capuzzi with FMPD. “You won’t see a major traffic impact. There will be normal parking. You may see additional road closures near the Caloosa Sound.”
Mr. Trump’s visit comes as he’s been racking up several endorsements from Florida Congressional Republicans, including Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube, who represent most of southwest Florida.
“So, if you ask me a decision between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, what I’m looking for is somebody who can come in day one and get American back on track,” Donalds said on CNN this week explaining his endorsement.
DeSantis hasn’t officially declared he’s running for President, but he spent part of this week touring South Carolina, one of the critical early primary states.
He touted his record as Governor and insisted he doesn’t pay attention to the polls, many of which show him losing ground against the former President since March.
“A leader is not captive to the polls,” DeSantis told the crowd in Spartanburg, SC. “A leader sets out a vision, executes on that vision, delivers results.”
Dr. Peter Bergerson, Political Science Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says while endorsements don’t necessarily drive voters to the polls, they can swing momentum.
“Governor DeSantis, he’s making some rookie mistakes,” Bergerson said. “He really hasn’t performed on a national level.”
