New members on Lee Tourist Development Council

The Lee Board of County Commissioners recently appointed Town of Fort Myers Beach Mayor Anita Cereceda and Village of Estero Councilmember Jon McLain to the Lee County Tourist Development Council.

Their first TDC meeting serving as councilmembers will be Aug. 8. Cereceda was appointed April 16, and McLain was appointed May 21.

Cereceda is serving her third term as mayor and was elected as the first mayor of Fort Myers Beach in 2014. A native Southwest Floridian, she is a graduate of Cypress Lake High School and studied at Florida State University. She returned to Fort Myers Beach in 1988 to help her parents with the family business. Cereceda is the owner of The Pier Peddler, Local Color and The Islander, Gift, Gallery and Boutique shops on Fort Myers Beach. She previously served on the TDC board from 2015-2017.

McLain has been a resident of Estero for seven years and lives in Belle Lago. He is a Realtor and has an extensive business background, most recently as executive vice president of Party City Holdings from 2004-2010, and as a vice president and general manager with Creative Expressions from 2000-2004. He is a veteran having served as an Army officer. He and his wife, Mary, have two daughters.

Cereceda replaces Holly D. Smith of Sanibel and McLain replaces John Carioscia of Cape Coral. Both will serve two-year terms.

The nine-member TDC was established by the BoCC in 1983 to increase off-season tourism to Lee County.