One of the larger Tax Day Tea Parties held across the county on April 15, 2009 was held here in Fort Myers. Organized by then WINK Daybreak host Mandy Connell and her husband Chuck Ley of Leyd Back Marketing, an event they anticipated would bring 500 to 1,000 concerned citizens wound up filling Centennial Park with an estimated by the City of Fort Myers at 4,500 plus attendees.
Given the success of the first Fort Myers Tea Party, it was hoped that the event would be repeated the next year. Plans were in the early stages when Connell began negotiations with a radio station in Louisville, KY. The resulting frequent trips to Louisville and acceptance of that job sidelined a repeat of the well attended event.
Kathy Jones, who is co-chair of the Lee County Patriots on Pine Island, thought another year could not go by without a tea party in Centennial Park.
“I communicated my concern to Mandy and Chuck that I was noticing many who were strongly engaged prior to the November, 2010 election were not engaged as much,” Jones said. “I know some people were worn out after fighting for our country for the past two years. But nothing is really getting better in DC. Mandy replied she’d love to see someone take up the mantle, so I decided it needed to happen.”
Trey Radel, chosen to replace Connell as host of Daybreak on 92.5 Fox FM and who is now Southwest Florida’s most popular conservative talk show host, immediately got on board to be master of ceremonies. “My callers tell me we can’t sit on the sidelines now. They do want to be engaged. They want to send a message that we meant it when we voted last November,” Radel answered when asked why he was so enthusiastic about being a part of Lee County Tea Party 2011.
Those who come to this year’s Tea Party in Centennial Park, Fort Myers on April 9 at 11:30 AM will find a similar event as that of the Tea Party in 2009. “We’ve got some great speakers, great music, entertainment, good food and we really hope this can be an event for all ages, which is why we chose to hold it on this Saturday, rather than April 15. We’ve got everything from pre-addressed postcards on which you can send a message to our President to patriotic face painting for kids, although their parents and grandparents might enjoy it also, ” Jones says. “But the City of Fort Myers said we couldn’t have Paul Revere ride through on a horse this year!”
Lee County Tea Party 2011 has a website where you can get information about the event, where you can donate to defray costs or volunteer. Corporate or business sponsorship benefits can also be found on the website.
Contact: Kathy Jones, 239-283-2074, kathy@leecountypatriots.com Find information on the Lee County Tea Party 2011 at www.leecountyteaparty.com or email info@leecountyteaparty.com.