Fort Myers community activist Anthony Thomas Jr. dies

Anthony Thomas Jr. of Fort Myers, a community advocate who was known for making his voice heard before local officials, has died Monday.

Mayor Kevin Anderson told WINK News Thomas died of cancer in the hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for the last few months. The mayor said he was able to share words with Thomas before his death.

“Anthony had a passion for the City of Fort Myers, and he was very vocal about it,” Anderson said. “I was able to visit with his family today.”

James Muwakkil, the president of the Lee County NAACP, told us Thomas will be honored by the county unit in the next couple of months.

“We offer condolences. The NAACP does see him officially as a very strong civil rights activists, and even though, most of the time, he was by himself,” Muwakkil said. “But he always spoke what was needed to be said.”

Most recently in the public eye, Thomas ran for office in the 2020 local election for the Ward 2 Fort Myers City Council seat against incumbent Councilman Johnny Streets, who retained his seat.

We asked Mayor Anderson what he would say to Thomas today if he could.

“I appreciate your commitment and passion for the city,” Anderson said. “I didn’t always agree with the way you expressed it or what you had to say, but I always appreciated the fact you were willing to stand up and say it.”