Two of the three Fort Myers city council wards up for election this year will keep their incumbents since no challengers qualified.
Only Ward 3 will see a contest: Incumbent Terolyn Watson will face Chantel Rhodes. Ward 1’s Teresa Watkins Brown and Ward 5’s Fred Burson will stay put.
The Fort Myers City Council is made up of six members representing their respective wards and a mayor elected by all registered voters who answers to them all. The mayor must live in the city; council members must live in the ward they represent. Terms for all offices are four years and there are no term limits. Council members earn $47,030 a year. The 141-year-old city has an estimated 101,581 people as of July 2025, according to the U.S. Census.
Who is incumbent Terolyn Watson?
First elected to council in 2015, Watson was born and raised in Fort Myers, and graduated from Fort Myers High School. She has worked for the Lee County School District for 26 years, according to her city biography, which also says she “loves to serve her community.” Watson is the assistant secretary of the National Black Caucus of Elected Officials.
Who is challenger Chantel Rhodes?
Born and raised in Fort Myers, Rhodes attended Mount Hermon Christian School and graduated from North Fort Myers High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of South Florida and a master’s in social work from Georgia State University. Rhodes taught English in China from 2017 to 2019, according to her website, and is now a mental health navigator for Lee Health.
A look at campaign finances in the Fort Myers City Council Ward 3 race
Amy Bennett Williams is a senior reporter. Reach her at awilliams@news-press.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers City Council election: Two keep their seats; one faces a challenger
Reporting by Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
