Town management moves “Fill the Boot” off of Fort Myers Beach

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FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Town management on Fort Myers Beach decided to move the “Fill the Boot” fundraiser to the other side of the bridge after their first day of fundraising on Friday.

“I always enjoy giving them the money out at the stoplights and stuff like that,” Mike Bergwall said.
“That dollar goes a long way, to every child with Muscular Dystrophy,” JP Duncan with the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District said.
The “Fill the Boot” fundraiser is something they do every year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Thirty minutes before they were done for the day, however, they got the boot.

“This year they got a permit, started today and then the gentleman pretty much in charge that arranges everything for the fire department called and said, ‘you won’t believe this,'” Robyn Schukert, co-owner of Bayside Bar & Grill said.

The fire department said they were told by someone with town management that they were causing traffic delays, they were not permitted to be there, and they’ll need to go on a county road.

Town Manager, Don Stilwell, said concerns for pedestrian safety and traffic delays on the bridge is what helped them make the decision to move the fundraiser.

“I mean the traffic is most of the times at a dead stop,” Schukert said.
“Fill the Boot” usually collects donations at Fifth Street and San Carlos Boulevard at the foot of the bridge but will now have to be at Prescott Street, which is on the other side of the bridge.
“They’re going to do a good job no matter where they are but once again they’re placed in a dangerous intersection compared to being on the beach,” Schukert said.
Schukert says since the traffic is already bad on beach, it might as well be used for a good cause.

“I just don’t think it’s right, it’s not fair. They need to open up their hearts a little bit more.”

This is now the second year in a row that they’ve had to move off of Fort Myers Beach for safety reasons.

“Fill the Boot” will continue through the weekend.

 

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