City council discusses future location of Fort Myers police and recruitment for new leader

Many changes are on the horizon for the Fort Myers Police Department.

The department will have to search for a new chief to lead the department following Fort Myers police Chief Derrick Diggs’ untimely death last month.

On Thursday, during a city council workshop, the recruitment and selection for a new chief were discussed in addition to site options for the police department’s future headquarters.

City Council approved the potential new site on Market Street.

The city will begin negotiations on what they call the “Market Street site,” which is almost one mile from its current location on Widman Way.

The Market Street site was one of three potential options after the city narrowed its list from more than a dozen locations in January.

The Market Street land has an estimated value of $3.6 million and covers 8.3 acres. City Council chose the site because of its accessibility and affordability, and the current property owners have expressed a willingness to sell.

Fort Myers City Manager said they’ll “see how negotiations go.”

This is at least the second time the city council will have to decide where to put the new headquarters after backing out on plans to move to the former News-Press site on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fowler Street.

The building was purchased by the city in 2019 for $9.2 million, but the building is back on the market.

One month after the passing of Police Chief Derrick Diggs, the Fort Myers Police Department will begin its search for a new top cop. That decision was also made at the city council workshop on Thursday.

We know it’s going to be an extensive search. The department will open up to candidates across the country. We also know it’s going to take a while. The search will be open for 30 days before FMPD starts narrowing its list.

The Fort Myers City Council unanimously agreed to let City Manager Marty Lawing start that search as early as Friday.

They’ll post the chief opening with several law enforcement organizations, and Lawing specifically mentioned the International Association of Chiefs of Police as a source of high-level candidates.

After 30 days, the city will schedule interviews with the most qualified candidates before in-person visits.

Eventually, a recommendation will be given to the city council, but that could be months from now.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson worked for the department for 24 years. He believes the chief job has never been more appealing. “It’s a great community! The crime is low. We’re rated the third safest city in the nation. A lot of good things have happened. To me, this is a location where a lot of chiefs and potential chiefs will want to look at and say, that’s a place I want to be.”

It’s interesting to note that the city lists the salary max for the new chief at $175,000. Former Chief Diggs made more than $180,000 annually after signing a contract extension in 2021.