Committee clears way for Cruisers Appreciation Day; permit, sponsorships and rules still being finalized

The Anchorage Advisory Committee on March 24 authorized staff and volunteers to finalize plans for a Cruisers Appreciation Day, subject to town permitting and attorney guidance limiting fundraising mechanics for a town‑affiliated event.

Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Rusk said the town attorney had advised that the committee could move forward but could not run a raffle because the mooring field is a town‑affiliated entity. “We have approval to move forward. We cannot do a raffle because we are not a nonprofit, but we can do a drawing,” Rusk said. Under the advice, the committee may collect voluntary donations and hold a drawing in which all attendees receive a ticket.

Council and funding: Rusk said the Town Council approved conditional support and would provide up to about $2,000 if the committee could not secure community sponsorships. Beach Talk Radio offered a $500 sponsorship and promotional support; Ed Ryan of Beach Talk Radio also offered to broadcast or play music on the day of the event.

Permits and logistics: Committee members reported the special‑event permit has been submitted to town staff; one staff member asked for a more detailed timeline and some approvals remain pending, including confirmation from Lee County agencies. The committee discussed permit elements: a limit of 10 pop‑up vendor spaces was placed on the permit, and some vendors will use 6‑foot tables rather than pop‑ups to reduce footprint. The town will provide tables and chairs to registered nonprofit and community exhibitors.

Fundraising rules: The committee agreed donors may be solicited and recognized but that larger donations should be checks made out to the Town of Fort Myers Beach; the attorney’s guidance means donations to support the event are not tax deductible. Committee members discussed seeking sponsorships from local marine contractors and businesses to underwrite the cost of complimentary meals for mooring field permit holders and invited guests.

Meals and drawing mechanics: The committee discussed several models for providing complimentary or subsidized meals to mooring‑field permit holders (the “voters”) and invited guests. Ideas in play included a fixed‑value meal ticket redeemable at participating restaurants, or securing a sponsor/restaurant to supply a set number of menu items. The committee agreed staff should negotiate with nearby restaurants (Snug Harbor, Wahoo Willy’s, Nervous Nellie’s and others) to determine what level of meal support they can provide.

Schedule and assignments: The committee set a subcommittee schedule to finalize logistics (April 2 at 10 a.m., April 10 at 1 p.m., April 16 at 9 a.m.) and asked members to divide outreach tasks: Jennifer Rusk to coordinate nonprofit participation; Curtis Leatherbrook to approach marine contractors about sponsorship; staff to confirm permits and vendor table assignments; committee volunteers to manage registration and the drawing on the event day.

Ending: With attorney and council approvals in place, the committee moved into the detailed planning phase — scheduling subcommittee meetings, assigning outreach tasks, and asking staff to confirm the permit status and vendor/table list ahead of the event.