Fort Myers mayor to present development update

City of Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson will present updates on major development and infrastructure projects at the Tuesday, July 9, luncheon meeting of the Real Estate Investment Society.

The program will include insights on affordable housing initiatives and opportunities for private development. The mayor will also address impact fee changes, building permitting issues and proposed ordinances. After his presentation, Mayor Anderson will respond to specific questions from the attending real estate development and investment professionals.

Anderson is a former executive with Chico’s and longtime city police officer. He has served as mayor since 2020, having served on the City Council prior to becoming mayor.

The meeting is sponsored by Krise Commercial Group and will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. on July 9 in the Osprey Room at Pelican Preserve’s Clubhouse, on Treeline Avenue at Colonial Boulevard,. Admission is $30 for members and $45 for guests, which includes lunch. Reservations are required by July 5th and may be made at the REIS website: www.reis-swfl.org.

Housing attorney joins Lee County Legal Aid Society

A veteran litigator with experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in private practice as well as in the public sector has joined the Lee County Legal Aid Society as a housing attorney.

Amir Cyrus joins the Fort Myers-based nonprofit, which provides free civil legal aid to low-income residents of Lee County, helping narrow the access to justice gap among those who cannot afford a private attorney in civil cases. That can include landlord-tenant issues, evictions and foreclosures, as well as post-disaster insurance claims and contractor fraud.

Cyrus previously worked in private practice at several Florida law firms as an associate attorney, handling property litigation on both sides of the aisle. A graduate of both Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law, he has also worked for the Florida Attorney General’s Office and as an assistant public defender in the Fort Myers-based 20th Judicial Circuit.

Founded in 1967, Lee County Legal Aid Society is a private, nonprofit organization that provides no-cost civil legal aid to low-income residents of Lee County. The organization helps narrow the access to justice gap among those who cannot afford a private attorney in civil cases. In partnership with the Lee County Clerk of the Court, Lee County Legal Aid Society offers free, 20-minute “self-help” legal clinics that pair attorneys in private practice with those in need of legal services. Unlike in criminal law, there is no Constitutional right to counsel in civil law, which includes landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosures, evictions, probate, debt collection, child custody cases, domestic violence orders of protection and more. For more information, visit www.leecountylegalaid.org or call (239)-334-6118

Gartland joins Garvin Injury Law

Garvin Injury Law, a leading personal injury law firm based in Fort Myers, Florida, has announced the recent addition of attorney Casey Gartland to its litigation department.

Gartland is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville, is admitted to the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida and is a member of the Florida Bar.

Gartland has over a decade of experience and his practice focuses exclusively on personal injury matters, including automobile crashes, trucking crashes, motorcycle wrecks, bicycle wrecks, boating incidents, dog attacks, premises liability incidents, product liability matters, elder abuse situations, medical malpractice occurrences and insurance law matters.

Garvin Injury Law’s office is at 4280 South Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-277-0005 of visit https://www.garvinlegal.com/

Ward joins Priority Marketing as assistant to the CEO

Priority Marketing has hired Melissa Ward as assistant to the CEO, a new role as the firm expands its portfolio of services and adds new client partners.

Reporting directly to President and Chief Creative Officer Teri Hansen, APR, Ward manages an executive calendar, prepares meeting agendas and relevant documents, secures meeting spaces, coordinates schedules, facilitates communications with clients and community partners, prioritizes tasks, manages workflow and completes additional administrative tasks as assigned.

Before joining Priority Marketing, Ward was a senior executive assistant for Chico’s FAS, a global women’s specialty retailer of private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories and other non-clothing items. Ward’s previous positions include executive assistant to the CEO at LSI Companies, a firm specializing in the development, acquisition, and disposition of land and improved properties in Southwest Florida, and executive assistant to the CFO at Bonita Bay Properties, a real estate development company.

Ward attended Grand Valley State University.

For more information, please call 239-267-2638 or visit PriorityMarketing.com.