LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- The North Fort Myers Civic Association held a meeting Tuesday night to hear about an idea to change the name of North Fort Myers and were met with a sea of opposition.
It was the largest turn out in recent memory for the association. The president, Mike Land, even moved the name change discussion to first on the agenda because it was standing room only.
But the applause of him moving it up on the docket was the only applause he received from the sea of red shirts.
The room erupted in boos, people speaking out of turn, and chanting.
"He couldn't get thorough it. It is embarrassing quite frankly that people were so rude and didn't allow him to hold a meeting," said Rosie Gaylord, who was fed up with the interruptions during the meeting.
Many in the room had red shirts on with 'North Fort Myers' written on the front to let everyone in the room know their opinion on the name change.
"What does our name have to do with it?" asked Billy Bragg, who has lived in North Fort Myers for almost fifty years. "I'm proud of our name," he added.
Many in attendance were not members of the North Fort Myers Civic Association. But, they lined up and paid their membership fees in order to have a vote in defending North Fort Myers's current name.
"A name change is like putting lipstick on a pig, it's not going to change what things look like," said Beverley Cayton, another person who has spent a lot of years in North Fort Myers.
The people in North Fort Myers hope they can build off of the momentum.
"Leave North Fort Myers the way it is as far as the name goes. All these things you are saying are run down to fix 'em up," said Bragg.
