Kiker chairs tourism board

FORT MYERS BEACH — The Lee County Board of County Commissioners appointed Larry Kiker as the chairman of the Tourist Development Council, replacing Lee County Commissioner John Manning.

Kiker, who defeated longtime incumbent Ray Judah in the fall for a seat on the county commission, was mayor of Fort Myers Beach from 2008 until he was elected commissioner. Kiker served on the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency and was elected to the town council in 2007.

The TDC is a nine-member council that oversees the use of tourism bed-tax collections and reviews the expenditures of the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. The tax on accommodations raised $26.5 million this most recent fiscal year ending Sept. 30.