Zoom meeting scheduled to elicit public input for MLK-VSSB public artwork
The public is invited to voice their preferences for a landmark sculpture at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr. and Veronica S. Shoemaker (VSSB) boulevards at a March 29, 2021 6:00 p.m. Community Zoom Meeting.
The public art project is part of the Dr. MLK, Jr. Blvd. Landscape Refresh along the commercial corridor. The CRA and the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee have joined forces to bring a piece that is both interesting and representative of our community.
Thousands of motorists pass through this intersection each day.
The CRA and Public Art Committee are actively seeking input from all members of 
the public as to the aesthetic, design, look and feel of the sculpture. This input will be incorporated into the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that will guide artists submitting applications in response to what our community envisions.
For an opportunity to join the March 29 meeting and be part of the process, the public must
- register in advance at https://cityftmyers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqcOisqDwjG9CkQhha4T9X7CcZdRU3l9UE
- or through the link at https://cityftmyers.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1240.
For more information, contact the Fort Myers CRA at 239-321-7100 or cra@cityftmyers.com.
About the Beautification Project
This public art is part of a joint effort of the City of Fort Myers Parks & Recreation Division, Public Art Committee and the Fort Myers CRA to beautify the Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr. Blvd. commercial corridor. Landscape beautification is one of the tools used by public entities to encourage 
redevelopment in cities. The CRA is providing $105,000 for landscaping and irrigation and has set aside $100,000 for a sculpture at the Veronica S. Shoemaker Blvd. intersection. The Lee County Black History Society, in collaboration with the Public Art Committee, are working 
together to get input from the community so that the end result is reflective of what our local community wants.
The landscape beautification component of the project has already begun.
About the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1984 by the City of Fort Myers, Florida, under Florida Statute Chapter 163, to formulate a plan and strategy for the revitalization of the downtown River District. The Fort Myers CRA has continued to grow, and redevelopment areas have been added throughout the city. Today, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency encourages and oversees redevelopment in five designated areas that contain a total of sixteen distinct geographic sections within the Fort Myers city limits. The Fort Myers CRA, along with the City’s Community Development Division, prepares plans for the revitalization of each area and coordinates the implementation of the plan’s recommendations. Tax Increment Funds (TIF) generated by each area, combined with other funding sources, are used to upgrade the public infrastructure and to stimulate redevelopment in the same area where it was generated. The Fort Myers City Council members, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners, oversee the Agency’s divisions and their operations. The Fort Myers CRA office is located at 1400 Jackson Street in the downtown Fort Myers River District.
For more information, please contact CRA Executive Director Michele Hylton-Terry at mhterry@cityftmyers.com or by calling 239-321-7100.
March 22, 2021.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.